Ahwatukee Foothills News 09/06/2023

www.ahwatukee.com

VPC OK’s big complex after developer concession

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

The developer of the mammoth 500,000-square-foot complex of three light industrial buildings near the eastern edge of Ahwatukee won approval from the Ahwatukee Foothills Planning Committee after promising not to seek tenants that created concerns about potential environmental hazards.

The VPC on Aug. 28 approved Via West’s request for a General Plan amendment and

zoning change for the Converge Logistics Center 28-acre site on 50th Street and E. Thistle Landing Drive just north of Chandler Boulevard.

City planners had recommended approval of both requests.

The approval followed a lengthy discussion of concerns about increased traffic in an already congested part of the community as well as tenants that might be engaged in activities with the potential for environmental hazards. In response to those concerns, the devel-

oper’s attorney, Carolyn Oberholtzer, took two potential types of tenants off the table, both involving hazardous chemicals.

And she said that her client is focusing mainly on manufacturers and distributors of pharmaceutical and natural health products, reducing projected increases in truck traffic.

While the three-building complex conformed to the existing zoning for the site, Via West wants the zoning change to broaden

see COMPLEX page 12

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

At least 400 homeowners in Ahwatukee and over 7,200 city-wide could be affected by new short-term rental rules that Phoenix City Council will be considering later this month.

The city administration last week released its proposed new rules, asking Council to schedule a hearing on them for Sept. 20.

While a council subcommittee tentative-

Given that the church’s namesake is Spanish for “hope,” it’s not surprising that Esperanza Lutheran Church Pastor Sarah Stadler, left, and preschool Director Lynn Hockenberger are preparing for a two-hour community discussion about children‘s and teens’ mental health at the Ahwatukee church. What prompted them to organize it may not surprise anyone either. For details, see page 24. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

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Donations still needed for holiday lights display

AFN NEWS STAFF

Holiday lights will be part of this year’s Christmas season in Ahwatukee but there may not be as many of them as in year’s past.

That’s the fear of Ahwatukee resident Carrie McNeish, who has been helping to lead the fundraising effort for the display along the medians of Chandler Boulevard between Desert Foothills Parkway and 24th Street.

This is the third year that the Foothills Community Association HOA will be overseeing the display. It also is the single biggest contributor to a display that costs between $125,000 and $140,000 –mostly in fees and permit charges form the city. The Club West HOA also is a big supporter, kicking in $25,000.

Noting “our current display exceeds this contribution by far and the costs will be higher this year,” McNeish warned that if fundraising doesn’t pick up soon, “the lights display could be reduced for 2023.”

The Foothills HOA is continuing to accept donations and any funds collected over this year’s cost will be rolled over to fund next year’s display, McNeish said.

For over two decades, the homegrown nonprofit Festival of Lights was responsible for the display but it handed over funding and operations to the Foothills HOA.

The Festival of Lights group has been disbanded and replaced by a new nonprofit called Light Up Ahwatukee, which has a broader goal of supporting other local nonprofits.

However, it also will continue to support the lights display and hold the KickOff Party that traditionally heralded the beginning of the display. That all-day event the Saturday before Thanksgiving at Desert Foothills Park will be renamed, however.

McNeish also is looking for business sponsors. Businesses interested see LIGHTS page 5

Independent voters dominate state, Ahwatukee

BY RENEE ROMO Cronkite News

The largest political party in Arizona is no longer a party.

The latest voter registration numbers from the Arizona Secretary of State’s office show that independent voters edged out Republicans in July to become the largest single group of voters in the state.

Independents – officially unaffiliated or “other” voters who do not align with a party – added 35,677 new voters from January to July to reach 1.45 million, or 34.55% of all registered voters in the state.

The same holds true for Ahwatukee, where active voters registered as “other” overwhelm those registered as either Republican and Democratic by a 2-1 margin.

For all three Ahwatukee ZIP codes, independent voters total 42,972, according to the latest data from the Maricopa County recorder’s Office.

That dwarfs the 17,623 voters regis-

tered as Republicans and the 17,035 registered Democrats.

Only in ZIP code 85045 do independents trail in registration totals. There, Republicans total 2,197, followed by 1,946 independents and 1,683 Democrats in the back seat.

For the other two ZIP codes, total registered voters break down as follows: 85044: 9,072 independents, 8,875 Democrats and 7,521 Republicans.

85048: 23,955 independents, 7,925 Republicans and 7,477 Democrats.

Republicans statewide added 1,985 voters in the same period to reach 1.44 million, or 34.42%, while Democrats lost 10,014 voters. The 1.26 million registered Democrats in the state accounted for 30.02% of the total.

“Recently statewide, the catch-all category of ‘other’ party, not declared, independent, has become the plurality party so to speak, even though it’s not a party,” Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said.

Experts say there are several reasons

voters end up in the “other” category: Some are simply tired of the major parties, others don’t want to be labeled and younger voters seem to prefer to be unaffiliated.

“This is, in my opinion, the default mechanism of what voter registration looks like in the state of Arizona. Where most people choose to not be of one of the parties,” said Paul Bentz, senior vice president for research and strategy at HighGround Inc.

Voters who do not like the major political parties have options in Arizona.

There were 33,378 registered Libertarians in July, or 0.8% of the total, while the new No Labels party – created specifically for those disenchanted with the current hyper-partisan politics – jumped from 17 voters in January to 8,505 in July, or 0.2% of the total.

But Bentz said there is a difference between the minor-party voters and unaffiliated voters, noting independents “do not want to be of a party – that’s the biggest take-away.”

Experts cautioned against reading too much into the shifting numbers.

Kyle Kondik, managing editor for Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, believes that party registration trends can often be a “lagging indicator” of political reality.

“The fact that independents now are a bigger share of the electorate than Republicans, I think it’s sort of symbolically telling, but I don’t think it tells us necessarily anything new about where Arizona is politically,” Kondik said.

It is important to note that voter registration is not the same thing as voter turnout, Bentz said, pointing to the fact that unaffiliated voters tend to underperform at the polls.

“When it comes to actual voters who show up, what we see is they’re closer to about 28% in a presidential election, and in a midterm election they’re closer to 25%,” Bentz said of unaffiliated voters.

see VOTERS page 16

Arizona a leader in road rage incidents

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

So if you think Arizona motorists are inconsiderate, you’re not alone.

A nationwide survey of 10,000 licensed drivers done by Forbes Advisor found Arizona has the most “confrontational drivers’’ in the nation.

How bad is it?

The new report found that more than one in five of the 200 Arizona motorists questioned reported they have been forced off the road. That’s second only to Illinois.

But that’s just part of the reason that Forbes Advisor rated Arizona the worst.

More than 56% of drivers here said that other motorists blocked them from changing lanes. And 51% said they had been cut off on purpose.

And a whopping 81% said they had been yelled at, insulted or threatened.

For many Arizonans, it didn’t stop there: Nearly one in three Arizonans said that another driver actually has gotten out of his or her vehicle to yell at or even fight with them.

Nationwide, Forbes Advisor said one of the top reasons cited for feeling road rage was heavy traffic, a factor cited by nearly 40% of those questioned.

Over 28% said they already were feeling stressed, with a third saying they were running late.

And starting out angry even before getting behind the wheel was cited by close to 33% of those who said they were guilty of road rage themselves.

Where motorists are located also plays a role.

Drivers reported experiencing road rage

LIGHTS from page 3

in helping out can email her at cmcneish@cox.net.

Other sponsors for the 2023 display include San Tan Ford, Albertsons/Safeway, Tukee Homes Realty, Big O Tires, The Longo Firm, Outside Living Concepts and Mangled Momentum/Million Lights Run.

most frequently on city streets.

Close behind are freeways or highways.

But close to one out of every seven people who found themselves in a road range situation weren’t even on the roads but instead in parking lots. And intersections also were the site of problems in 12% of situations.

So where is the best place to escape?

Rural roads, where motorists said just 7% of road rage incidents had occurred.

This isn’t a Southwest thing: Of the Top 10 states rated the worst for road rage, Texas was the only state in the region on that list.

The rest of the list of worst road rage situations according to Forbes is a mixed bag.

Tiny Rhode Island came in at No. 2 at least in part because more than 96% of drivers there reported that another motorist had yelled at them, insulted them, cursed at them or made threats. That compares with just 81% in Arizona.

At No. 3 was West Virginia where 77% of motorists said they had been tailgated, with 61% saying someone had left their vehicle to yell at or pick a fight with them.

So where are the most courteous drivers?

In Delaware, according to the new report.

While 41% of motorists there said they had been yelled at, insulted or threatened, just 11% said they had been cut off on purpose.

Someone exited their vehicle just 8% of time time. And only 5% said they had been forced off the road -- less than a quarter the figure in Arizona.

The survey was conducted between July 7 and Aug. 3 by OnePoll and has a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.

People can contribute at gofundme. com/f/foothills-holiday-lights

Checks can be made out to “Foothills Community Association” with a note in the memo filed stating “Donation for Lights.” They can be sent to RealManage Community Management, Attn: Cathy Van Galder, 3930 S. Alma School Road, Suite 10, Chandler AZ 85248.

AFN NEWS STAFF

Phoenix Police and Kyrene School District officials are continuing their investigation into how a preschool student at Kyrene de la Estrella brought a handgun in his backpack to the Ahwatukee school on Aug. 28.

A teacher discovered the weapon while helping the child unpack his backpack.

Stating that students’ “safety and wellbeing is our highest priority,” the district on Aug. 29 told parents in a letter that counselors would be available for students and staff.

“This was not a violent situation, but it could cause similar feelings and fears,” the district said.

The district said the weapon “was placed inside the pack by an adult by mistake.”

The unidentified parent immediately notified the school as soon as the mistake was discovered at home, but Estrella staff had already found the gun and put it in a secure place.

“The family is cooperating with police,” the district said, though neither it nor police explained exactly how the gun had been mistakenly put in a child’s backpack.

“While the situation was handled quickly and safely, the Estrella community is still understandably shaken and experiencing a range of emotions.”

Police said that after the investigation is completed, detectives will determine whether to file charges.

The district also gave parents a document from the National Association of School Psychologists that it said “can help families in talking to children about violence.”

Estrella Principal Jessey Johnson sent an advisory to parents two days after the gun discovery, citing “questions about lock-

see GUN page 10

City redistricting hearing will be held next week

Apublic hearing has been scheduled next week to solicit public input on Phoenix’s ongoing redistricting process.

The city is required by law to adjust city council district boundaries to equalize population in each of the eight districts based on official U.S. Census data.

The meeting for Council District 6, which includes Ahwatukee, will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11, at the Devonshire Senior Center, 2802 E. Devonshire Avenue.

The city says that the 202 Census shows Phoenix’s total population has gone from 1,445,632 to 1,608,139, “making the new ideal equal population target for each council district 201,017.”

To meet that target, it says District 6 –along with 1, 3 and 4 – “need to increase in population” while the others need to decrease.

That means the boundaries for the districts will need to be adjusted with the goal of being within 1% of the city’s total population when divided by 8.

Census data provided by the city shows that District 6 has in 202 had a population. of 190,397 – a growth fo 11,699 over the number its population in 2010.

The districts where the city said population must be lowered all exceed their 2010 totals by 26,000 to 32,000.

Because the redistricting process must be completed before next year’s

council and mayoral elections, the number of council districts cannot be increased.

Increasing the number of council districts requires an amendment to the City Charter that must be approved by voters.

That means District 6 will retain, at least for now, its irregular shape with its northern and southern areas established in 1990 to protect the voting rights of minority groups in south Phoenix.

“When the district system was established in 1982, the area south of South Mountain was originally part of District 8,” the city explains on its website. “That area was mostly undeveloped except for the Ahwatukee Community, which was not yet part of the city.”

After Ahwatukee was annexed into Phoenix in the late 1980s, it explains, “adding the large white population to the predominantly minority population in District 8 would have diminished minority voting rights in District 8.

“The irregular boundary of District 6 with the northern and southern areas protected minority voting rights and combined the more similar demographic and racial communities that are in these two areas together in District 6.”

It said changing those boundaries in the last two redistricting efforts would have still significantly impacted minority communities and voting rights.

RENTALS from page 1

ly approved some of the new regulations for owners last June, it also directed staff to consider requiring owners to conduct background checks on their customers.

The new regulations come at a time when municipalities across Arizona are girding for a fight with the state Legislature next year for more control over short-term rentals.

While the Legislature and then-Gov. Doug Ducey stripped municipalities of any control over short-term rentals, increasing complaints about rowdy and sometimes violent behavior by renters persuaded lawmakers to return some control to cities and towns.

Last year the Legislature allowed them to establish a permit process and impose fines of up to $1,000 a month for failure to register.

The 2022 statute also allowed municipalities to impose some fees for administrative costs and enact a few other regulations.

What Phoenix administration calls “a very limited permit/license process” is largely aimed at helping municipalities “to gather better data regarding shortterm rentals with minimal modifications to the ability to regulate these types of uses,” the council report states.

The proposed regulations would require an owner to pay a $250 application fee for a one-year permit, obtain at least $500,000 in liability insurance and have a transaction privilege tax license from the city.

Failure to obtain a permit would carry a graduated series of fines that can go as high as $3,500.

Owners would also have to notify their neighbors of their intent to operate a property as a short-term rental and provide the city with the emergency contact information of someone who could be at the scene within 30 minutes of a call from fire, police or code enforcement personnel.

The regulations also toughen screening for criminal background checks.

On the one hand, owners would have to prove they are not registered sex offenders and have no convictions within the last five years for any felony involving a death, injury or use of a deadly weapon.

But the owners also would be required

to conduct a sex-offender background check of renters.

That proposed background check is considerably less comprehensive than council members Debra Stark and Laura Pastor told staff they wanted to see.

During a June 21 hearing on the administration’s initial proposed regulations, Pastor said a short-term rental in her neighborhood hosted a party where a teenager was shot and the site was never listed for short-term rentals.

“There are a lot of incidents happening within these troubled neighborhoods – and they’re not even troubled neighborhoods, just within neighborhoods, affluent neighborhoods, historic neighborhoods and every other neighborhood,” she said, adding:

“We have to get a handle on them and be proactive in protecting our city,” she added.

City staffers replied that it would be necessary to hire additional employees to verify background information.

The proposed rules also would forbid renting out properties for parties where admission is charged and alcohol is served and no guest stays overnight

Scottsdale is home to so many shortterm rentals that have generated neighborhood complaints that it created a five-member Police Department task force assigned exclusively to monitor those properties and respond to calls involving them.

Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega also is asking the Arizona League of Cities and Towns to lobby the Legislature for more local control over short-term rentals.

He wants a cap on the total number of short-term rentals that can exist in a municipality; limits on density in specified areas; and some minimum distance between those properties.

“Each proposal is designed to return the quality of life that Scottsdale neighborhoods enjoyed before the city’s previous ban on short-term rentals was preempted by the Legislature,” Ortega said.

“Scottsdale neighborhoods have been shattered by short-term rentals, which are commercial businesses in residential zoned areas. Our residents are clamoring for peace and quiet, free from late-night disruptions and party house annoyances – we want our neighborhoods back.”

see RENTALS page 10

Expires 9/30/23.

Heartland

RENTALS from page 9

Phoenix’s new rules are being proposed at a time when the Valley’s leading analyst of the metro housing market says some parts of the Valley has become so saturated with short-term rentals that owners are turning to conventional long-term rentals instead.

Although city staff in June told the council subcommittee that Phoenix is home to 3,000 short-term rentals, airdna.com – which tracks Airbnb and Vrbo properties for the industry – lists more than twice that number in the city.

The Cromford Report last month stated, “The short-term rental market appears to have peaked in a number of over-supplied locations. This is leading to ludicrous prophecies by a few deranged real estate gurus that a huge flood of former short-term rental homes will hit the market in the near future.

“So many owners joined the Airbnb party that there are sometimes far more short-term rental properties than there are people wanting to rent them. This means lower occupancy and price competition, making ownership of a shortterm rental much less attractive than it was a couple of years ago.

“Over the last two years average occupancy is reported to have dropped from 60% to 56%. …Some owners are considering converting to long-term rentals instead. The theoretical advantages are higher occupancy and greater peace of mind but the main disadvantage is a relatively low gross income compared with the owner’s original expectations."

AirDNA said that for August, occupancy in Phoenix short-term rentals average 53% and the average daily rate was $192. Both are down from the 2023 high, set in February, when occupancy

Foothills

down procedures following this incident.”

Johnson noted that staff and students “practice and train regularly for a variety of emergency situations.”

Noting the gun had been secured as soon as it had been discovered, the district stressed, “At no time was there a suspected threat to the campus, and because it was handled so quickly, a lockdown was not necessary.”

Johnson noted, however, the district’s

averaged 83% and the daily rate averaged $285, according to airDNA.com.

Some affordable housing advocates have blamed the proliferation of shortterm rentals for aggravating the critical shortage in affordable housing in the Valley, citing the low inventory homes for sale.

The business communities in some vacation hotspots in Arizona – notably Sedona – have complained that employees can’t find affordable apartments or homes near their jobs because so many short-term rentals exist.

In the report to city council, Deputy City Manager Alan Stephenson said the city would be required under the proposed regulations to act on a short-term rental owner's permit application within seven days, regardless of the outcome.

That permit could be revoked for a year if the owner is found guilty of three minor provisions or one major provision of the regulations governing their use.

The proposed measure states that a "verified violation" involves only actions forbidden by "any applicable law or ordinance relating to the use of the property for short-term rental purposes."

As for notifying neighbors that a property would be used for short-term rentals, the proposed regulations define "neighbors" in an apartment building as being all units on the same floor with the unit that would be rented.

For homes, the notification would have to be given only to those homeowners located adjacent to the rental property and "diagonally across the street."

The regulations also forbid a long list of activities, such as manufacturing, that are banned in areas with a residential zoning. All applications for a short-term rental permit must also propvide "proof of lawful presence in the United States."

emergency management team “works closely with schools and personnel to review our response and constantly work to improve and add more layers to our safety protocols.”

“Please know that our campus is safe,” Johnson wrote.

“Kyrene School District provides a safe environment for teaching and learning through continual training, secure facilities, and a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan.”

the pool of tenants it could court.

Via West’s request heads to the Phoenix Planning Commission at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Sept. 7, in Council Chambers at City Hall. City Council may vote Oct. 4.

The complex exists on land owned by the Kyrene School District that Via West leased for at least 77 years – providing close to $100 million in additional revenue to the district over that time.

Several residents spoke out against the project, though one Club West homeowner’s lament that it threatened Ahwatukee’s “small-town feel” pretty much went nowhere since the complex already has been built.

The developer’s traffic study initially projected the complex would generate 1,742 new vehicle trips a day – mostly by semi-trailer trucks.

Traffic concerns run high

Elevating concern about that traffic is a proposed 417-unit apartment complex on 50th Street on the site of a twobuilding office complex not far from the Converge Logistics Center.

That proposal was presented to the VPC earlier this year but has not yet returned for the mandatory second hearing and

vote prior to consideration by the Planning Commission and the city council.

Oberholtzer sought to quell the traffic concerns by noting that Via West’s decision to seek pharmaceutical and health product distributors and manufacturers would reduce the amount of truck traffic.

“The thing to think about is for logistics and distribution, those are more semi-trailers,” she told the committee. “What we’re talking about is having uses that are not so oriented.”

She said the types of tenants Via West is seeking will generate fewer trucks and rely more on passenger vehicles.

And she noted that regardless, the complex generated far fewer vehicles than an office complex would generate on the site, which is already zoned office use.

Oberholtzer also warned the panel, “The tenant pool – if you don’t go through with this amendment – would probably be more storage and warehousing space. So those are more trucks.”

But even the adjustment in the projected traffic failed to persuade two residents who decried the impact of even 200 trucks on the already congested area along Ray Road and Chandler Boulevard

One resident said “it’s not safe for children” while the other said morning and

afternoon rush hours would aggravate the “terrible gridlock” that already exists, especially if the nearby apartment complex is built.

Even before she began her presentation, it was evident that Oberholtzer’s client had already made a major concession that had generated concern at Via West’s first VPC hearing in May.

‘An ecological disaster’

Committee member Darin Fisher at that time expressed concern that some manufacturing allowed in the new zoning would involve hazardous chemicals.

But for the most part those kinds of manufacturers appeared to have been dropped from Via West’s consideration.

And the only remaining potential activity that sparked concern from one resident – metal-plating for electrical manufacturing – was removed by the developer with little hesitancy.

Oberholtzer had told the committee that her client was negotiating a lease for 30,000 square feet of space with an electronics manufacturer of automated locking systems.

She said that while the unidentified prospective tenant initially planned to use the space for warehousing and distribution, the company was considering an expansion into manufacturing.

That prospect raised a strong objection from resident Jim Schultz, who said, “I wasn’t going to say anything about traffic because I don’t consider it to be the issue at this point.” He noted existing zoning for the site already guaranteed more vehicles.

“What concerns me deeply is metal plating,” he continued. “Since the Middle Ages, it’s one of the largest ecological disasters and it’s killed more people than virtually any other industry.”

He said “a dramatically large percentage” of EPA Superfund sites involved metallurgy, particularly metal plating, and that having any facility like that in the complex “would be an ecological disaster.”

After several VPC members turned to Oberholtzer for a response, the attorney said, “This use is not fundamental.”

She said the big clients targeted by Via West were pharmaceutical and vitamin supplement makers.

“So if this committee is not supportive of the idea of electronics manufacturing, it is totally within your purview to make a recommendation to approve without that component.”

Her offer appealed to committee members, especially after Fisher extolled the benefits the center would bring to Ahwatukee.

“They’re bringing high-quality jobs,” he said.

While a few committee members expressed skepticism about whether Via West would adhere to Oberholtzer’s assurances, the lawyer noted that her client would have to eventually submit a narrative to the city Planning and Development Department “that is completely reflective of the approvals and all the changes along the way.

“We have to submit a document at the end that will serve as the regulatory document for the property so that we would not object to that revision.”

The three buildings that comprise the Converge Logistics Center total about 500,000 square feet of light industrial space on 28 acres along 50th Street just north of Chandler Boulevard in Ahwatukee. (File image)

Developer Via West envisions that most traffic generated by tenants in the Converge Logistics Center would enter the site from Chandler Boulevard and exit north to Ray Road in order to easily reach I-10. (File image)

Area president of NAACP urges more talk of race

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER AFN Staff Writer

AMesa resident who is president of the East Valley chapter of the NAACP says the community must continue to have uncomfortable conversations about racism.

The remarks by Kiana Sears, a secondterm Mesa Public Schools Governing Board member, were prompted by the Supreme Court’s ruling this summer forbids college and universities from including race as an admissions factor.

The NAACP is a national organization founded in 1909 that advocates for equity, rights and social inclusion for Black Americans.

“There is a local angst about (the Supreme Court ruling), especially in the climate where you have seen,” Sears said in an interview with the Mesa Tribune, citing an “uncomfortability around any discussion with race.”

She fears the high court ruling will impact other programs.

“Those who are involved in programs for under-represented youth or groups are concerned whether the programs are going away or what will happen,” she said.

“There’s no difference in capacity of people to learn and to grow and to actually learn. … but you have unnatural and man-made barriers and institutional barriers that make it harder for some people,” she added, stating:

It’s important “to make sure if we have a population that is not doing as well, for whatever reason, we remove those barriers.”

The East Valley NAACP advocates for state and local legislation. It supported Gov. Katie Hobbs’ executive order in March barring discrimination for racebased hair styles by state employees and contractors.

Sears said the East Valley chapter has been focused recently on working with

see NAACP page 16

Kianna Sears, seen here in a video from a meeting of the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board that she serves on, is also president of the East Valley NAACP and a longtime community leader in Mesa. (MPS)

He said that underperformance can be attributed to the fact that there is not an actual Independent party in Arizona.

If they want to vote in a primary election, unaffiliated voters must choose a Republican or Democratic ballot to do so.

Paul Smith-Leonard, a spokesperson for Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, said it’s likely that enrollment in the major parties will inch back up as the presidential primary approaches next year.

Richer believes that the reluctance to be associated with a specific party has also led to a push for change in how elections are run, leading to the creation of groups like Save Democracy Arizona, which is pushing for an open primary election.

That would put candidates from all parties on one primary ballot which any

registered voter could use, whether affiliated with a party or not.

But being able to choose which party to vote for is also why Bentz says that independent voters are the “largest swing group in the state.”

“They’re certainly the group that delivered Arizona to Donald Trump in 2016, and delivered Arizona to Joe Biden in 2020, and then voted overwhelmingly Democratically and rejected the Republican candidates in 2022,” Bentz said.

One thing is certain, experts say: The persistence of independents in Arizona is a wake-up call for the major parties if they want to win elections statewide in Arizona.

“Whether you’re Republican or a Democrat, you need to appeal to a large portion of the unaffiliated voters in order to be successful,” Bentz said.

NAACPfrom page 14 local leaders to improve literacy rates for children of all backgrounds and promote fair housing practices in today’s tight housing market.

It also serves as a watchdog for incidents of racism, issuing press releases like one in May condemning the discovery of a “lynching effigy,” a black baby doll hanging from a noose in a bathroom at Queen Creek High School.

Sears pointed out that the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action on college admissions criteria will not impact students aiming to attend Arizona’s three public universities.

The Arizona Board of Regents, which governs them, has issued a statement reiterating that admissions to the state universities “are based solely on academic performance” and that it does not expect any impact from the ruling.

tancy to talk about race and racism in general.

She believes this hesitancy has been created in part by reactions against Critical Race Theory, an academic concept that views social and legal systems through the lens of race and proposes the existence of systemic racism.

She’s concerned national debates on the topic are turning “good words” like “inclusivity” into “dirty words.”

State Superintendent Tom Horne has made it a priority of the Arizona Department of Education this year to remove lessons influenced by CRT from public schools.

Critics of Horne’s actions claim CRT is an advanced academic topic not taught in K-12 schools and no East Valley school districts have ever been found to teach anything like it in any grade.

“The board is proud that each of Arizona’s public universities are Hispanic Serving Institutions and student enrollment continues to grow in diversity,” it added.

“Hispanic Serving Institution” is a federal designation for colleges and universities with a population of 25% or more Hispanic students that qualifies the schools for certain grants.

In the most recent data, a little under 6% of students identified as Black or African American at Arizona State University, where Sears is assistant director of faith-based and community outreach.

The University of Arizona reported 4% of its undergraduates are African American and Northern Arizona University reported 3%.

Sears noted that Tempe, where ASU’s main campus is located, was once a “sundown town,” where people of color could work during the day but were expected to leave in the evening.

While state schools won’t be affected, Sears said that elite school admissions are important because they can be gateways to money and power in the United States.

Sears said the ruling might send the message that all students are on an equal footing when it comes to getting into elite schools.

She doesn’t believe that is true, citing the fact that descendants of alumni can still be given preference in admissions.

For Sears, the affirmative action issue ties into what she calls a growing hesi-

Horne created a hotline for people to report “inappropriate” lessons, including those “that focus on race or ethnicity, rather than individuals and merit.”

“Race is irrelevant to anything,” he said.

Sears said the hotline contributes to a climate of “fear and intimidation,” and she expressed concern that the debates surrounding CRT could have the unintended effect of making people fearful of addressing race at all.

“You can’t ignore something and expect it to go away,” she said. “That’s like someone being ill and just saying, ‘if I don’t acknowledge it, I’ll be cured.’

“At the point that it’s not something that everybody’s uncomfortable talking about, that’s the point where then it doesn’t matter,” she added.

“You hear these statements that ‘I don’t see color,’” she continued.

“If you don’t see color, it shouldn’t be uncomfortable when I say, ‘As a black woman,’” Sears said. “In a country that loves individuality, why is it a problem when I actually show up fully present and I talk about my individuality and my experience in America?”

For Sears, having hard conversations about race isn’t about dividing the community into separate groups but rather a necessary ingredient to creating unity.

“It’s about the greater good for everyone,” she said. “We know we’re as strong as our weakest link. No matter who, what, when, why, let’s remove all of those barriers.”

Retired EV cops probe the weird

BY TOM SCANLON AFN Staff Writer

Dave Rich and Marianne Robb used to chase bad guys on the streets of Gilbert.

Today, the former Gilbert cops are chasing after the unknown, the weird and the unexplained to get at the truth.

“We want to get the word out that we are here to support law enforcement officers who have nowhere else to go when they see something they can’t explain,” said Robb, a Queen Creek resident who retired after 34 years on the force. “Often if they share with their colleagues, they get ridiculed.

“We want them to know there is someplace for them to go and be taken seriously.”

Robb and Rich presented “Real Encounters: When Law Enforcement Meets the Unknown” on Aug. 17 at the UFO Experience mini-museum in Scottsdale.

Robb got her start in the world of the supernatural after her husband attended Mutual UFO Network or MUFON meetings and introduced her to UFO researchers.

For Rich, his interest began in 2017 when his sergeant sent him to investi-

gate a call that came into dispatch.

The Mesa resident shared an audio of that call.

“What is your emergency?” a dispatcher asked.

“I scare,” whispered a female voice.

“You’re scared?” the dispatcher said.

“No! I … scare,” the voice hissed.

The female caller than stopped talking, despite the dispatcher’s repeated questioning. The call was tracked to a Gilbert high school where two officers promptly found a phone off the hook at the front desk – but no one was there, according to Rich.

During their search of the campus, officers entered a nurse’s office and one of them later told Rich that they didn’t see anything but they “felt something rush past us.”

Rich later interviewed the school nurse. She was dodgy at first but eventually admitted that she’s been followed by a ghost her entire life, he said.

Rich said that his haunted high school investigation led to mocking by his fellow cops, who put tin foil hats in his squad car.

“Our whole point isn’t just to bring you guys an entertaining presentation,” Rich told the crowd of about 50. “Ultimately

from 1947 to 1969, an Air Force program called “Project Blue Book” investigated 12,618 UFO cases.

Though 701 of those cases remain “unidentified,” the Air Force insisted “there was no evidence indicating that sightings categorized as ‘unidentified’ were extraterrestrial vehicles.”

See something – say nothing?

Shortly after the 1997 sightings of mysterious lights hovering in formation over Phoenix, then-Gov. Fife Symington held a press conference, joking that “they found who was responsible” and revealed an aide dressed in an alien costume.

Though the “Phoenix Lights” incidents were later debunked as military planes, the response illustrated what Robb and Rich are up against.

we’re trying to help these officers negotiate with what I went through.”

Robb and Rich said that skepticism –and open mockery – keeps many law enforcement officers from reporting things that are not easily explained, including unknown flying objects or UFOs.

The duo hoped that the U.S. military’s new openness to unknown events will spread into law enforcement.

After decades of half-hearted explanations, such as routinely writing off mysterious objects in the sky as weather balloons, the military and the federal government are now opening their books on the unexplained.

After years of treating flying saucers as a joke, the feds are reversing course.

Congress in July held a hearing on UFOs. A congressional subcommittee heard testimony from several military veterans who alleged the government was concealing evidence of unidentified aerial phenomena or UAP.

Retired Maj. David Grusch reportedly went from being part of the Pentagon’s UAP Task Force to becoming a whistleblower. He told a national security subcommittee he knew the “exact locations” of UAPs being examined by the military.

The U.S. Air Force’s website stated that

A decade later, Symington told national news outlets that as a military pilot, he witnessed an object “bigger than anything that I’ve ever seen. It remains a great mystery.”

Symington told a UFO investigator making a documentary that he didn’t go public with his experience previously “because he didn’t want to panic the populace.”

In other words: See something – say nothing.

For Robb and Rich, their dilemma was how to get police officers, who are adept at investigating citizens but often are reluctant to share their own unexplained experiences, feel comfortable going public?

At the Scottsdale event, the ex-cops shared stories that could have been lifted from the TV show “The X-Files” scripts –but really happened, they swear.

Robb told the story of a fellow Gilbert officer who believed he encountered a “skinwalker” or “shapeshifter” creature while driving on a highway at night through a reservation in northern Arizona.

Before recently putting in his retirement papers, Rich spent 25 years with the Gilbert Police, moving up from patrol to a detective investigating gangs, homicide, sex crimes and drugs. see COPS page 20

The TV show X Files” featured Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny playing FBI agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder probing UFOs and supernatural phenomena. (Special for the Tribune)

Marianne Robb of Queen Creek and Mesa resident Dave Rich have a combined 59 years experience as Gilbert Police officers, but are now investigators with the Mutual UFO Network. (Tom Scanlon/Staff Writer)

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State GOP nixes county party's election ploy

BY BOB CHRISTIE Capitol Media Services

Arizona Republicans will get to vote as usual in next year’s presidential preference election after the head of the state party rejected a demand from leaders of the Maricopa County GOP to cancel the state-run election and instead run the vote themselves.

The decision announced Sept. 1 by state party Chair Jeff DeWit means early and mail-in voting as well as Election Day balloting on March 19, 2024, will go on as usual, with registered Republicans choosing who they back to be the party’s nominee for president. Friday was the last day for the party to pull out of the state-run Presidential Preference Election and choose instead to run its own tally.

The county wanted to ban all early and mail-in voting and hold the election “on paper ballots, in a one-day, one-vote election, hand-counted at the precinct level.’’

They cited “election security’’ as the driver, issues they believe led to Donald Trump’s 2020 defeat and that of Kari Lake, who lost last year’s election for governor to Democratic Katie Hobbs.

DeWit, however, said the county party’s demand to call a meeting of the state party’s executive committee could not be done because party rules require 30days notice for meetings.

COPS from page 18

“We worked on some teams,” said Robb, who had been with the department for a decade before Rich joined her.

Rich and Robb are partners again – as field investigators with MUFON.

The county party’s resolution was adopted without notice just six days before the Sept. 1 deadline to inform the state’s top election official, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, of a decision to pull out.

Democrats will also get to vote in their party’s primary on the same day. Democrats had been widely expected to cancel their presidential primary and simply assign their party convention delegates to President Joe Biden.

It is common for parties to cancel presidential primaries when their party holds the White House and the incumbent is seeking reelection. The state GOP did not participate in the 2020 election when then-President Trump was seeking a second term.

For his part, DeWit offered the county Republican Party what he called a “compromise solution.’’

That would allow the Maricopa GOP –and not Republican parties in the other 14 Arizona counties – to run a “parallel’’ election under its proposed rules with only in-person voting on one day, with ballots counted by hand and results released the same night.

But he told Capitol Media Services that the only votes that actually count would be those cast using the regular state-run process, not those cast in the county-run plan. He said his compromise proposal would allow the county

see GOP page 21

missed as the domain of cranks and conspiracy theorists.”

To address that, according to the story, a former Navy pilot started a website for pilots to report unexplained experiences.

Similarly, Robb and Rich hope law enforcement officers will reach out to them to report bizarre incidents.

They also started a group called UAPPD, investigating the unexplained.

A recent NBC News story noted “the Federal Aviation Administration has no mechanism for pilots to report UAPs, instead directing them to civilian UFO groups that are often dis-

“The government and others researching this phenomenon,” Rich said, “are all looking for the same thing – the truth.”

For more information about UAP-PD, visit uap-pd.com.

party to see if their plan can work and doesn’t break the bank.

“They can ask voters to come and vote in both,’’ he said.

“They know the real one is the state election, but they can do basically like a real-time audit if they want,’’ DeWit said. “They can run their own thing and see if their results match. Because they say it can be done very cheaply and easily and so this gives them a chance to.”

The decision left Craig Berland, the top official in the Maricopa GOP, fuming, saying it would do nothing but confuse voters. And it wouldn’t count anyway.

“I can’t believe that anybody with a conscience would come up with such a stupid idea,” Berland continued. “You know, I’ve held my tongue on Chairman DeWit but I can tell you that that is plain stupid.’’

He also lashed out at DeWit for relying on the 30-day notice rule, calling his ex-

cuse of not having the time to consider it disingenuous.

Berland said there are provisions for emergency meetings. He pointed to a June special meeting called with just three days’ notice to approve the purchase of a new headquarters office for the state party.

“Quite honestly, I’ve tired of the whole game,’’ Berland said.

“It falls squarely on his shoulders,’’ he said. “He’s the only one that can go to the secretary of state and change the direction of the PPE election. And so he’s going to have to accept responsibility for whatever decisions he’s making.’’

DeWit was clearly not supportive, sending a letter Wednesday packed with quotes from multiple unnamed committee members raising a raft of questions about running their own election.

“I approached this with a mindset of collaboration, and a desire to see if it was a doable thing,’’ he wrote. “Upon de-

tailed consultation with our legal counsel, it is now evident that acting on this resolution would breach our bylaws, placing the AZGOP at risk of countless legal complications.’’

The top issue was cost, which he said would be in excess of $10 million for the party to run its own statewide presidential primary.

State lawmakers appropriated $5.9 million for the presidential primary election earlier this year. But that involves fewer voting locations as many counties use vote centers versus the precinctlevel voting at more than 1,700 locations statewide that Maricopa County wanted.

That meant not just the cost of staffing those locations but also informing more than 1.4 million registered Republicans of the vote plan and where they would have to go to cast a ballot. The state party currently has less than $200,000 in the bank.

Other issues included how to ensure

that disabled people and military members stationed outside Arizona had an opportunity to vote.

The party’s attorney, Lee Miller, noted that only a fraction of GOP voters would likely participate in the county’s one-day election and warned of lawsuits. Currently, 90% of Arizona voters cast mailin ballots.

“An opt out of the PPE with the intention of moving to a more closed delegate selection process almost guarantees the party will be sued on equal protection and due process grounds,’’ Miller wrote.

Berland said he remains convinced there was fraud in the 2020 election and says he can prove it, despite the repeated failure of Republicans in Arizona and elsewhere to persuade any court that is true.

Even Trump’s own attorney general, William Barr, said there was no evidence of voter fraud that could have affected the result of the 2020 election.

Healing Field again remembers a terrible loss

BY AFN STAFF

The annual Valley tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks will return this week to Tempe Town Lake.

The 22nd annual Tempe Healing Field will be erected starting at 6 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, and volunteers are needed to install flags for each of the 2,977 people who died and to remove and store the flags the following Tuesday, Sept. 12.

The Tempe Healing Field has been sponsored by the Tempe Exchange Club for the last 21 years and Chairman Nick Bastian has said in the past that it not only memorializes the victims but also rekindles the unity that existed in the wake of the tragedy.

“Some of the emotion that I’ve seen and felt, you really can’t describe it,” Bastian said. “We just want to make sure that people don’t ever forget what happened that day.”

That unity the Tempe Exchange Club seeks to rekindle is demonstrated by the volunteers who show up for set-up and tear-down. No sign-up is necessary and

volunteers just should show up at 6 a.m.

Saturday and the following Tuesday. If they have any questions, they can call Bastian at 602-803-6425.

The Tempe Healing Field offers more than a stirring site of hundreds of flags, each bearing the name of a 9/11 victim. There is no admission for those who want to stroll through Tempe Beach Park to reflect on those names.

There also are a number of patriotic and other events through the course of the memorial.

Sunday will start at 7:30 a.m. with the 5K Tunnel to Towers Run/Walk , though people must register at tempehealingfield.org.

At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, the free Freedom Concert will be presented.

On. Sept. 11 beginning at 5:46 a.m., each victim’s name will be read aloud. The time is when the first plane hit the first tower in New York City.

At 7 p.m. Monday, a candlelight vigil will conclude the formal memorial tribute.

In 2001, Bastian was living in Mesa and

working as a residential Realtor when he woke up to a surreal moment on TV. Like millions of Americans on that Tuesday morning, Bastian watched United Airlines Flight 175 crash into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Bastian said that moment still lives with him to this day and why he wants to remind people what happened, not just on

that day, but in the days following, especially for those not born at the time – like his three teenage sons.

“It really just felt like our country came together as Americans,” Bastian said. “And that’s something that I’ll certainly never forget and I hope other people don’t.”

see

The sobering display of flags commemorating the 2,977 people who died in th Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks will return to Tempe Beach Park next weekend as the Tempe Healing Field is erected by the Tempe Exchange Club. (File photo)

Scientists study earthquake risk north of Mesa

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER AFN Staff Writer

The threat to reservoirs from longterm drought and high temperatures has been in the news in recent years, but the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is keeping watch over a different type of threat to the Valley’s water system: earthquakes.

In April, Tonto National Forest officials signed off on a plan for geologists with the bureau’s Dam Safety Office to study a set of faults along the Beeline Highway that researchers believe could pose a risk to the Salt River dams.

The studies, which involve digging long trenches to expose buried faults as well as higher-tech tools like scanning the area with laser beams, are expected to continue into 2025.

Scientists with the Dam Safety office want to get a better idea of the history of seismic activity along the faults and assess risk to the dams on the Salt River to the south, including the Mormon Flat and Horse Mesa dams, which form Canyon and Apache lakes, respectively.

The Bureau of Reclamation says the studies are mainly focused on the Horseshoe, Carefree, and Sugarloaf faults, located near Sugarloaf Mountain and the Mesquite Wash along the Beeline Highway.

Researchers want to determine which faults are active and “establish the frequency and magnitude of earthquakes on known faults in the region,” a U.S. Forest Service document states.

“These fault studies provide the required information for Reclamation’s highly specialized engineers to better understand risks to Reclamation dams due to potential earthquake loadings,” a bureau spokesman said.

The faults were last studied in detail in the mid-1990s, when ADOT was studying the area to determine the placement of

FIELD from page 22

For the past 20 years, Bastian said people from all over the world have attended the Healing Fields memorial.

“If you have a loved one that was lost that day, we can actually show you where that person’s flag is,” Bastian said.

Past events have shown flags fill the crescent-shaped grass field at the heart of the Tempe Beach Park. That area primar-

bridges along the highway.

“Since then, there have been advances in numerical dating techniques and remote sensing technology (such as Lidar) that can be used to re-investigate these faults,” the spokesman said.

The ADOT study in 1995, conducted by the Arizona Geological Survey, estimated the Sugarloaf fault last ruptured between 50,000 to 100,000 years ago and was a magnitude 5.8 to 6.7.

According to the U.S Geological Survey, 6.0 is considered a “moderate earthquake” with property damage, and a 7.0 is “strong earthquake” with loss of life and billions in property damage.

However, “there is substantial uncertainty in our estimates of the magnitude of surface-rupturing earthquakes on the fault and the frequency of surface ruptures on the fault,” the 1995 study states.

In his decision memo signing off on the study, Tonto National Forest Supervisor Neil Bosworth authorized researchers to dig trenches on forest land up to 2.5 meters feet deep and 35 meters long using hand tools or excavators.

The trenches are needed to expose the faults and collect samples for dating. In some cases, natural gullies have exposed the faults and trenches won’t be necessary.

Bosworth determined that the proposed seismic study did not require an environmental assessment under federal law because it is a short-term geophysical study and “there are no extraordinary circumstances associated with this project,” he wrote in the decision memo.

The permit for the trenching includes the stipulation that trenches/holes remain covered to prevent entrapment or injury and vegetation will be cleared by hand and saguaro, large trees, shrubs and agaves will be avoided.

ily commemorates the victims inside the Twin Towers.

Smaller areas around the large field commemorates victims inside the Pentagon and inside the airliner that was crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

Bastian said he’s served as the chair for the Healing Fields Committee for the past three years and it’s the Tempe Exchange Club’s biggest event of the year.

This part of the Tonto National Forest is being studied for earthquakes. (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation)

Kids’ pandemic trauma inspires ‘Hope Talk’

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

Esperanza Lutheran Church wants to mirror its name – Spanish for ‘hope.”

The Ahwatukee church wants to bring hope to the community through a twohour panel discussion about children’s and teen’s mental health 1-3 p.m. Sept 17 at the church, 2601 E. Thunderhill Place.

Interim Pastor Sarah Stadler said “Hope Talk” will focus on steps that parents or anyone caring for or about children can take to support and empower youngsters from birth through teens.

Held in the church sanctuary, the program features a panel of educators and mental health professionals.

The impetus for the program began last year when Pastor Sarah, as she is usually named, visited a classroom of 2-year-old toddlers at the Children of Hope Child Development Center Preschool on the church campus.

“These 2-year-old children were born during the pandemic. These were kids who didn’t leave the house, and when they did, people around them were masked,”

she said. “I noticed they were unusually quiet, even during their snack time.”

Later, in conversation with longtime Children of Hope Preschool Director Lynn Hockenberger, Pastor Sarah was made more aware of the toll the pandemic had taken on these preschoolers and their interaction with others.

“We had this trauma, and it really was a trauma, collectively, with even young children affected. The first five years is such a critical stage of life,” she said. “They were fearful, they picked up on the fear and uncertainty of others around them.

“I remember telling Lynn, ‘Oh my goodness, I never thought about this affecting even young children.’”

“The COVID-19 pandemic had mental health repercussions for people of all ages,” Pastor Sarah added, stressing that hope is possible even in the aftermath of a pandemic that triggered anxiety disorders and disruption of routines worldwide.

“Along with the world at large, we’re seeing the devastating effects of the pandemic and other factors on our kids’ mental health,” she explained. “We also see members of our own community,

and in particular our preschool students, heal and thrive when they receive the support they need.

“This support ranges from various kinds of therapies to classroom interventions to healthy, loving relationships with adults in their lives.”

Hockenberger helps provide those loving relationships, as do the preschool’s two teachers per class.

“We’ve noticed that our kiddos born during the pandemic seem to be a bit more cautious and unsure as they weren’t exposed to playdates, outings, trips to the store and story times at the library; things we took for granted before the pandemic,” said Hockenberger, preschool director for the last nine years.

“We also noticed an increase in referrals for speech and occupational therapy to help improve motor skills, balance and coordination, as well as other developmental concerns,” she said.

“Now, since coming to school and having opportunities to engage with other children and receiving strong social-emotional supports and environments with trained teachers, our stu-

dents are doing well. I think it has also been helpful for parents to have that social network again after the isolation of the pandemic.”

Another panel member for the Hope Talk program is clinical psychologist Lauren Taveras, an Ahwatukee resident whose Coral Valley Psychological Services, founded in March 2020 in Ahwatukee.

“At Coral Valley, we are continuing to see the impact of COVID, mostly upon children and adolescents for whom we offer comprehensive psychological evaluations,” she said. “This impact tends to involve academic delays as well as emotional challenges like social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and depression.

“It seems to us that the social isolation thrust upon kids through school closures had the most harmful effects.”

Taveras, who will address anxiety in children and teens during her portion of Hope Talk, said she’s also concerned about how the pandemic impacted parents “in a powerful way.”

As a result of that concern, she will

see HOPE page 25

The idea for Esperanza Lutheran Church’s upcoming Hope Talk came from a visit to the church’s pre-school by Interim Pastor Sarah Stadler, who saw the impact of the pandemic. The church reopened for services in 2021 after the statewide shutdown on gatherings, but aspects of the services, like choir, were still conducted under COVID-related protocols. (Facebook)

Lauren Taveras, an Ahwatukee resident who founded Coral Valley Psychological Services here in March 2020 is one of the Hope Talk panelists and plans to hold an eight-week parent support program soon. (File photo)

Rabbi plans High Holy Days observances here

AFN NEWS STAFF

When Rabbi Levi Minsky and his wife Chaya arrived in Ahwatukee in the fall of 2022, they envisioned creating a vibrant Chabad serving Jewish people in and around the community.

This month, Minsky is excited about taking a big step toward that goal by leading High Holy Day observances in the community.

The Minskys came here from Brooklyn in New York City with the goal of establishing Chabad of Ahwatukee, one of the newest chabads among more than 5,000 around the world. Chabad is an Orthodox Hasidic sect based in Brooklyn and is sometimes known as Lubavitch or Chabad-Lubavitch after the Russian town where the movement was centered in the 19th century.

It is considered the best-known and most visible of Hasidic sects, thanks to decades of outreach work seeking to bring non-religious Jews closer to their faith. Chabad engages with the broader Jewish community, embracing technology and communications tools to spread its message and global presence.

“Thank God, the community has been growing steadily month by month,” Minksy said. “People have been reaching out and joining our programs and just getting together as a community.”

Among the high points of the Jewish calendar are Rosh HaShanah – or the Jewish

New Year – and Yom Kippur, often called the Day of Atonement.

Minsky has prepared observances for both holy days that he hopes everyone, not just those of the Jewish faith, will attend.

He has rented a building at 3956 E. Chandler Blvd. for Rosh Hashana services at 10 a.m. Sept. 16, followed by a Kiddush buffet, and a Family Shofar Service at 4 p.m. Sept. 17.

For Yom Kippur, the rabbi has scheduled Koi Nidrei services at 6:15 p.m. Sept. 24. On Sept. 25, there will be a 10 a.m. morning

soon launch an eight-week parent support group at Coral Valley.

“Parents are the number one most important tool in addressing anxiety among their children and families, so the aim of this group will be to build them up and set them up for success, arming them with evidence-based tools to support their little - and not so little ones,” said Taveras.

Hope Talk will include take-home resources, community contacts and light refreshments for attendees.

“We invite our whole community to learn along with us how to best support our kids so that they can grow into joy-

ous, confident adults,” said Pastor Sarah Stadler, who served 12 years with Grace Lutheran Church in downtown Phoenix before becoming interim pastor at Esperanza last year.

“We aim to share practical, solutionfocused information that uplifts our community at large,” she added. “We probably all have kids in our lives – our own children, grandchildren, neighbors, church members, students or scouts – whom we could better support and encourage.

We just need the tools. All are welcome to come and learn, connect, and recognize we are all in this together.”

The inaugural Hope Talk is open to the public. Information: MyEsperanza.org

Rabbi Levi Minsky is excited about leading his first High Holy Days celebration in Ahwatukee since he moved here last year.

New kind of Scouting program forming here

AFN NEWS STAFF

Anew kind of Scouting experience has formed in Ahwatukee and the organizers are extending an invite to any male or female member of the Boy Scouts of America between the ages of 14 and 20.

As the name implies, BSA Venturing Crew 1903 promises plenty of exciting excursions and opportunities for an advanced level of leadership.

The youth-led and youth-inspired program is guided by adult mentors and members “choose the activities which matter to them and develop essential skills such as leadership, event-planning, organization, communication and responsibility through the planning and execution of the selected activities,” said Jeremy Piwowarczyk, founding committee chair, adding:

“This is, of course, all done while having fun.”

Crew 1903 is open to Scouts who are already members of existing Scouting units.

An informational meeting about the Venturing program and Crew 1903 will be held at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 17 at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. For questions, email azcrew1903@gmail.com.

Chris Grosjean is the crew advisor; her position is similar to the of a scoutmaster.

Piwowarczyk said six Scouts already have registered and any Scout who joins in the crew’s first year will be considered a founding member.

A Scout since the second grade who has

RABBI from page 25

service, a Yizkor Memorial Service at 11:30 a.m. and a Neilah Closing Service at 6 p.m. No affiliations or membership are necessary but Minsky asks attendees to reserve a spot at chabadahwatukee.com to ensure there is enough food.

Minsky said that with the beginning of a new Jewish year, the Kiddush buffet is particularly important.

“That’s where community members will be able to connect,” he said.

He called the holy day “the engine for the coming year” and the sounding of the shofar, or horn, the following day calls for “renewal and change and blessings for the new year.”

been a Leader in Pack 178 for the last six years, Piwowarczyk also has been active in the BSA Gila River District for which he is membership committee chair.

Troop in Ahwatukee as my son moves from the Cub Scout program to the Scouts BSA program.

Grosjean began her Scouting journey when her sons became Boy Scouts. They also have earned Eagle rank.

She served as a Cub Master in Pack 178, Scoutmaster in Troop 17 and has been an advisor and commissioner. At all Scouting levels, her role has been focused on mentoring the youth members and helping to develop them into independent leaders who seek to serve others.

Venturing has been around in Scouting for many years in the BSA, Piwowarczyk said, “though it is not the first type of Scouting that people think of when they hear ‘Boy Scouts.’

“Beyond the focus on youth leadership, Venturing provides opportunities for activities that are not always available to Scouts in traditional Scouting units,” he said.

Those activities can include whitewater rafting, 100 mile and week-long back country backpacking adventures, rappelling and climbing.

The Venturing Crew “also will do many traditional Scouting activities,” he added. Those include everything from “a simple hike or mountain bike ride to performing service projects in the community. “

“Venturing also differs from other Scouting programs in that the scouts, not

Both Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, taken together, offer “a time to reconnect to who we really are,” he added.

“We pray for the whole community that we have a very blessed and very sweet year, a year with only good things and blessings.”

While Rosh Hashana is a joyous time, Yom Kipper is more solemn.

“This is a very very special day in the Jewish calendar,” Minsky explained. “We ask forgiveness from God and start fresh for a new year.

“We ask God to forgive us,” he continued. “We want to start a new page and be forgiven for any misdeeds we have done in the past.”

The memorial service that day “is a very

the adult leaders, are the ones primarily determining what activities the unit will have throughout the year; letting the experience be tailored more to the specific interest of the Scouts involved than a fixed program.”

He noted, “Venturing was also unique in the BSA in that it has always been a Coed form of Scouting, long before changes to the Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA programs opened them up for female Scouts.”

Given that Crew 1903 is just forming, Piwowarczyk said he and Grosjean want to give the members the chance “to define their own adventures throughout the

special moment of connecting to one’s soul and the souls of our loved ones who have passed away.”

Refreshments will be served at 6:58 p.m. Sept. 25, the exact time when Yom Kippur ends.

Minsky stressed all the High Holy Days services are open to everyone “no matter their religious, educational or economic background” and promises “a very warm and friendly atmosphere.”

Minsky also is preparing a special observance of another holiday that comes in early October.

To celebrate Sukkot, he is planning a “Sushi in the Sukkah” event at 6:30 p.m.

year, work to plan and fund them and in the end have the experience they created.

“As adult leaders in a crew we are there to mentor and guide the Scouts but the vision is that the crew will become what the Scouts wish for it to be focusing on those adventures and activities,” he explained.

Piwowarczyk said the big factor in forming Venturing Crew 1903 was the fact that such a Scouting unit was not available in Ahwatukee.

“Currently there is not another Venturing crew within 10 miles of Ahwatukee and only four within a 20-mile radius,” he said.

Oct. 2 – the place is yet to be determined –and also is building a “Sukkah on Wheels” to brings the traditional foods to people unable to get out of the house.

Sukkot is another important holiday in the Jewish calendar and is a seven-day celebration of thanksgiving and commemoration of the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert after their liberation from Egypt.

A sukkah is a booth or hut that symbolizes that time in the desert.

For information and reservations for any of the holy days, go to chabadahwatukee.com. People who have questions can contact the rabbi at info@ChabadAhwatukee.com or 480-382-0232.

Chris Grosjean is the advisor for the new Ahwatukee Venturing Crew, and Jeremy Piwowarczyk is the founding committee chair. (Special to AFN)

Real Estate Guide

Controversial casita measure to go before council today

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Phoenix City Council today faced the prospect of a long and testy hearing as opponents and proponents weigh in before it votes on a measure that would allow single-family homeowners to build a casita in their backyard.

The city Planning and Development Department asked the council to postpone until November a hearing on a second controversial amendment that would reduce or even eliminate minimum parking space requirements for new apart-

ment complexes – including a couple bound for Ahwatukee.

The Ahwatukee Village Planning Committee in July urged rejection of both amendments, citing concerns about excess parking in neighborhoods and, in the case of the casitas, about owners using them as short-term rentals.

The two amendments are part of a broader set of changes to the Zoning Code aimed at helping the city meet its goal of creating or preserving 50,000 “affordable”

see CASITA page RE2

housing units by 2030.

While no one has defined “affordable” as it relates to that goal, critics and some experts have indicated the rule to allow casitas, formally called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, may not have all that much an impact on the city’s objective.

On the one hand, VPC members and others have pointed out that without following Flagstaff ’s example and requiring a minimum stay of 30 days or more, ADUs could joined the ever-growing pool of short-term rentals in Phoenix.

On the other hand, Ahwatukee real estate attorney Patrick MacQueen said the amendment that has gone before the council appears to allow homeowners associations to block members who want to build a casita.

In a report filed with City Council by the city Planning and Development Department last week, numerous proponents of both zoning amendments urged their approval.

The report also includes minutes from most of the 15 VPCs in Phoenix that evaluated the measures.

The Ahwatukee Foothills and Desert View VPCs gave thumbs down to the ADU measure. Six of the other 13 VPCs in Phoenix approved it but urged modifications while five others okayed it as is.

Another panel failed to have a quorum to make a recommendation on either amendment.

The parking measure was opposed by far more VPCs. Nine of the city’s 15 panels rejected it while one if the five that approved it asked for modifications.

The city Planning Commission has recommended both measures for council approval.

In some VPC minutes, committee

Under the measure allowing so-called Accessory Dwelling Units” in the backyards of singlefamily homes, the casitas could be no bigger than 75% of the main house.

members noted that a casita would drive up a homeowner’s real estate taxes since it would upgrade the property while others insisted more building standards should be included to ensure no one drops a modified shipping container in their backyard.

In the council report, a diverse array of advocates for affordable housing and builders urged approval of the casita measure.

However, the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona urged the council to drop a requirement from the ADU measure that the owner live in one of the houses.

The measure requires the casita be no larger than 75% of the main house.

Several organizations and Democratic lawmakers enthusiastically endorsed the measure.

In a letter signed by two lawmakers, the American institute of Architects, AIA Phoenix Metro, A Permanent Voice Foundation and the Urban Phoenix Project, proponents call casitas “among the most naturally affordable forms of housing.”

They claimed a “new market-rate casita rents for 75% less than a new singlefamily home,” contending they “provide opportunity to people of all ages” and are affordable to as much as three-quarters of the people who earn the average median income for the area.

“Casitas enable seniors to age in place by providing ongoing rental income without needing to move off their property,” the letter stated, citing a poll that showed 73% of all residents in the county support casitas. No methodology for that poll was provided.

The Neighborhood Coalition for Greater Phoenix took a different tack, and last week again assailed the measure in its current form, stating it has “the potential

to harm Phoenix neighborhoods.”

“Neighborhood Coalition members generally support efforts to increase the city’s housing stock by encouraging construction of ADUs,” the Coalition said in a release last week. “However, the proposed changes circulated by city planners have shortcomings that should be remedied.

“A primary concern is that the proposal would not stop new ADUs from being used for short-term rentals that create traffic, parking and noise problems for neighborhoods.

“The proposal’s provision to require restrictive covenants against use of ADUs as short-term rentals (which would not help provide permanent housing) is unfair and unrealistic because it is unclear how it would be enforced.”

It also voiced concern about the lack of additional on-premises parking requirements, contending “that means ADUs would create on-street parking congestion that would inconvenience residents and create traffic safety hazards.”

“We see no indication that the City Council as a whole is listening to citizens’ concerns about these proposals and input from the city’s advisory bodies,” the coalition wrote. “We want the City Council to carefully review and revise the proposed amendments before voting them up or down. The ADU proposal can be easily improved with changes related to parking, short-term rentals, historic protection and homeowner associations.”

Retail rental market remains strong in Valley

The Valley has hit an all-time low vacancy rate for retail rental space.

Colliers in Arizona reported last week the 4.8% vacancy rate record at the end of June reflects “strong tenant demand in one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.”

Noting that data from Affinity Solutions indicates Phoenix has experienced a 16.5% increase in consumer spending since January 2020, Colliers said the Valley up through June 30 has seen vacancy rates fall for 12 consecutive quaretrs.

“Eight out of nine geographic submarkets in the city posted retail vacancy decreases year-over-year,” it said, indicating that only downtown Phoenix came up short with an actual increase in empty storefronts.

“The lowest vacancy is found in the West Valley, falling to just 1.8% during second quarter,” Colliers reported, adding Scottsdale posted the second lowest vacancy at just 3.6%.

Net absorption of retail space during second quarter totaled 717,262 square feet,

bringing the year-to-date total to 1.9 milion. “Net absorption at the mid-year point reached 80 percent of the total net absorption posted in all of 2022,” Colliers said.

“The market is less than 500,000 square feet from topping last year’s absorption level. New deals larger than 10,000 square feet rose 17% from first quarter and were up 22% year-over-year.”

The largest new lease signed during second quarter was PickleMall’s commitment to 104,000 square feet of open retail space at Arizona Mills Mall.

The second largest lease involved behavioral health group Village Mentors signing a lease for 31,550 square feet at Alta Mesa Village near Brown and Recker roads in Mesa.

“Strong population growth has driven demand for space and a rise in construction activity,” Colliers said. “Deliveries of new retail space during second quarter totaled 153,430 square feet. This was lower than first quarter and 39 percent below second quarter 2022.

“The market posted new space totaling 700,000 square feet during first quarter

and the amount of space currently underway is 1.47 million square feet.”

Colliers also reported that new retail construction in the West Valley and East Valley account for three-quarters of all commercial projects currently underway in the metro area.

Rental rates for stores in the Valley also are increasing, Colliers said, reporting an average second-quarter rent of $16.12 per square foot – a 3% year-over-year rise.

“The largest was experienced in the West Valley, posting a rise of 6.13 percent and ending at $16.61 per square foot,” it said, adding that North Scottsdale saw the largest square foot price increase – jumping 10.4 percent to $23.39 per square foot.

Scottsdale maintains the highest average rental rates, posting $25.80 average rates per square foot, Colliers said. “Decreased vacancy is expected to continue placing upward pressure on rental rates throughout the remainder of 2023,” it predicted.

“Unlike other commercial real estate sectors, retail Investment sales during second quarter saw a 64% rise in transaction volume,

ending the period at $293 million. However, second quarter 2023 fell behind sales from second quarter 2022 by 30.9 percent. First half sales volume is down 50.7 percent from the first six months of 2022, with total year-todate volume posted at $472 million.

The largest bulk sale of retail space in the second quarter involved seven EoS properties in Arizona and Florida totaling $94 million. Four of the five properties in Metro Phoenix were former grocery stores being converted into gyms.

“The outlook for Greater Phoenix retail space remains optimistic as the population growth flourishes and demand from tenants is strong,” Colliers said.

It said in the first six months of this year, 148 new restaurants opened in the Valley and 74 restaurants shut down. New fast food food outlets accounted for a large number of the new dining spots, and total 118 in the last 18 months.

Colliers is a leading diversified professional services and investment management company

Ex-fire chief opens home inspection service

Aformer California fire chief has opened an East Valley home-inspection service.

Greg DeAvila said his 30-year career with the Oceanside Fire Department has made him intimately familiar with building construction, likening it “to having a doctorate in the field.”

As owner of a Pillar to Post Home Inspectors franchise, DeAvila said he’s utilizing what he learned in community risk reduction and recognizing unsafe issues in building construction.

He managed training programs in building construction, roof construction and commercial and residential mechanical systems.

On top of that experience, DeAvila grew up working in a family construction business.

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“I came out of retirement to start this business having extensive experience in both building construction and safety,” DeAvila said. “These two valuable attributes allow me to provide a service of added value to everyone considering buying a home.

“I’m able to provide homebuyers with all the information they need on the structural integrity and overall condition of a home and any safety concerns.”

Home inspections have become a vital part of the real estate sector, providing buyers and sellers with reliable information about the condition and value of a property.

The U.S. building inspector industry, measured by revenue, is estimated to have a market size of $4.9 billion, according to global research firm IBISWorld.

Pillar to Post Home Inspectors boasts of being “at the forefront with its out-

standing and innovative technologies that were introduced just in time to provide contactless home inspections during the pandemic.”

“Some industry trends that excite me are the advancements in automation of smart home systems in new homes,” DeAvila said. “As technology advances, so does the welfare and safety of our home environments.”

Today’s homebuyer – especially in the ever-changing housing market – would be wise to turn to Pillar To Post Home Inspectors, given some recent findings, DeAvila said.

According to Clever Real Estate, 72% of homebuyers who purchased in 2021 or 2022 have regrets over their home purchase. The most common factors that con-

see INSPECT page RE7

Greg DeAvila, a retired California fire chief, has set up shop in Mesa as a home inspector. (Courtesy of Greg DeAvila)

‘Renaissance Realtor’ Josh Mendoza returns home

Like father – and mother – like son.

That’s part of Josh Mendoza’s career path in California since 2006.

He has been a Realtor in the Los Angeles area since 2006 – just like his Ahwatukee Realtor-parents, Mike and Jude Mendoza.

Now Josh, 40, has come home.

He’s living in Foothills Club West with his wife Mary and their two children, Abigail, 8, and Anderson, 6.

And he’ll be working with The Mendoza team – just as he has been doing right along since he graduated 17 years ago from Stanford University with his bachelor’s degree in English, which was followed by a master’s degree in fine arts in 2012 from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.

Josh has played an integral role in The

Mendoza Team in California, where he won multiple awards as a top-producing agent in California and Arizona.

But he just wasn’t selling real estate in the Golden State.

He also directed a feature film and has been working on his second novel, a scifi thriller titled “Shadow of the Eternal Watcher,” that he’ll be publishing next year.

“I was selling homes in LA while writing: It’s a great career to work for yourself, earn a living, and still chase your passions,” he said.

But, Josh added, “I’m excited to be returning to my hometown.”

“My wife and I decided that we wanted to get out of the city and raise our kids in an environment similar to the one we grew up in,” he said.

“Returning to the Ahwatukee Foothills

afforded us that opportunity. We love the community, the people, the schools and can’t wait for our kids to grow up here. Plus, being close to family can’t be beat.

“I’ll be focusing primarily on residential real estate,” he said. “Outside of our main location in the Ahwatukee Foothills, Tempe and Chandler areas, I’ll be focusing on growing our business in the Arcadia and Scottsdale regions of the Valley.

“But, that being said, we’re always happy to travel anywhere in the Valley for our clients.”

A 2002 Desert Vista graduate who had pursued music in high school, playing trumpet for three different band organizations, Josh has pretty much been a Renaissance man since he finished his

After carving out a successful career as a California-based Realtor with his parents’ The Mendoza Team real estate company, Josh Mendoza has moved back to Ahwatukee with his wife and their two children. (Special to AFN) see JOSH page RE7

SPOOTLIGHT TLIGHT home

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Listed for $1,225,000

Mike Mendoza

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tributed to their remorse were spending too much money and rushing into buying.

And there are some other important considerations to mull in addition to a home’s square footage and number of bathrooms, DeAvila said.

Clever’s survey also found that almost half of homebuyers – 43% – made financial concessions like waiving a home inspection amid fierce competition for homes, CNBC reported.

Skipping that home inspection can be costly. A survey from insurance firm Hippo found that most homeowners – 77% – had to pay for an unexpected repair within the first year of owning a house. Two-thirds of respondents said those fixes cost more than $1,000, said the CNBC report.

“After my retirement from the fire department,” DeAvila said. “I wanted to go back to work as a small-business owner

and Pillar To Post Home Inspectors provides the perfect opportunity to put to work my experience in construction and skill set for recognizing unsafe issues in building construction.

“Plus, the Arizona home inspection market was very attractive for me to start my business.”

Information: pillartopost.com/gregdeavila or 480-910-4461.

About Pillar To Post Home Inspectors®

Founded in 1994, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is the largest home inspection company in North America with home offices in Toronto and Tampa. There are nearly 558 franchises located in 49 states and nine Canadian provinces. Long-term plans include adding 500 to 600 new franchisees over the next five years. For further information, please visit www.pillartopost.com or for info about a franchise go to www.pillartopostfranchise.com

JOSH from page RE5 undergraduate work.

“When I graduated from college, I joined my parents’ real estate team,” he said. “I liked that hard work and commitment to service for others led to greater success in real estate.

“In joining The Mendoza Team, I wanted to emulate what I’d seen my parents accomplish in their business. I continued that tradition in starting my own successful real estate business in Los Angeles and continue to hold my license in both California and Arizona.”

He had a great influence at home, considering his father, a Major League Baseball pitcher for 10 years until he retired in 1983 to start what became a successful real estate career.

On the real estate side, Josh said his goal is “to continue the standard of ex-

cellence Mike and Jude have established at The Mendoza Team and, by extension, to continue helping our friends and neighbors find fabulous places to call home.

“Beyond that, I’d like to build on The Mendoza Team’s success by pushing the boundaries of real estate, innovating with technology and finding new ways to offer unparalleled service to our clients.”

“I have not bowed out of making films,” he said. “We’re currently on strike with the WGA so nothing is happening at present.

“But after that ends, I have some opportunities to direct another film. I signed with a new manager this year prior to the writer strike and that’s led to exposure and positivity.”

Reach Josh at: 310-892-3234 or Josh@ MendozaTeam.com.

NEW*GRAND FOYER*LIVING ROOM W/ FIREPLACE*FORMAL DINING ROOM*FAMILY ROOM W/FIREPLACE & FULL WETBAR*KITCHEN INCLUDES CUSTOM CABINETRY,RARE QUARTZSITE COUNTERS,THERMADOR APPLIANCES,BUILTIN FRIDGE/FREEZER,ISLAND,& WALK-IN PANTRY*LARGE MASTER SUITE*MASTER BATH W/ STEAM SHOWER,JACUZZI TUB,HIS/HER VANITIES, & WALK-IN CLOSET*MEDIA ROOM*EXERCISE ROOM*GAMEROOM*GIGANTIC PARADISE BACKYARD INCLUDES:PEBBLESHEEN POOL & JACUZZI,TWO GRASS AREAS,SPORT COURT, AND STUNNING SOUTH MOUNTAIN VIEWS*BACKS & SIDES TO WASH WITH COMPLETE PRIVACY*A 6-CAR GARAGE

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One of the most amazing lots available in ahwatukee!! Located in foothills mountain ranch estates!! Over 5 acre hillside lot with stunning mountain views from every direction*build your dream custom estate or build multiple homes on this sight*zoned r3*the possibilities are endless on this rare opportunity*there is not another piece of land in ahwatukee that offers this many buildable acres*no hoa*located at the end of a cul-de-sac*be the king of the hill with views all the way to four peaks*plans available and other custom home options available from a well know ahwatukee custom home builder*do not miss this amazing hillside lot in an amazing location!!!!

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make your very own Oasis! NO HOA! Horses, RV’s and assorted toys are welcomed. Private well, water softener and much, much more.

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Morrison Ranch Gilbert

This 1,976 sq ft, 3 bed 3 bath is nestled on a corner lot displaying a great curb appeal highlighted by a cozy front porch, & a grassy front yard. Interior boasts a formal living room, plantation shutters, archways, tons of natural light, and carpet & wood-look tile flooring t/out. The family/dining room opens to the kitchen, featuring a fireplace, surround sound, & sliding doors to the back! Gourmet kitchen offers quartz counters, recessed & pendant lighting, staggered cabinetry, mosaic backsplash, island w/breakfast bar, and SS appliances w/cooktop gas. Main bedroom has backyard access and an ensuite w/dual vanities and spa shower. Enjoy the entertainer’s backyard with a covered patio, travertine pavers, & a sparkling pool!

Kelly Predaza

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AROUND AHWATUKEE

Armer Foundation Gala promises to be memorable

The Armer Foundation for Kids will host its fourth annual Shine Your Light Gala 5-10 p.m. Sept. 23 at The Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, 5594 W. Wild Horse Pass Blvd. Proceeds will benefit local families whose children have chronic or life-altering diseases that lead to major financial barriers for treatment.

The evening will feature cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, a three-course plated dinner, inspirational speeches and local families whose lives have been changed by the help of the Armer Foundation, along with a silent auction, live music by Nineball and dancing.

“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and it’s an inspirational evening where we hear from the families we have helped and can see the impact we make through annual fundraising efforts such as this,” said Jennifer Armer, co-founder of The Armer Foundation for Kids.

Armer said when health insurance is not enough, the foundation helps by assisting families with co-pays, premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses.

Tickets are $125 and can be purchased at armerfoundation.org, 480-257-3254 or at the Armer Foundation for Kids Thrift Shop, 9830 S. 51st Street, Suite A128, Ahwatukee.

Time growing short to get Night for Kyrene tickets

Time is growing short to get tickets for the Kyrene Foundation’s Night for Kyrene gala, which raises funds for the foundation’s mission of helping the school district’s community.

It will be held 6-10 p.m. Sept. 9 at Wild Horse Pass and include a plated dinner,

cash bar, a wine pull, music by Picaso & Twin Strings and a silent auction that will also be available online.

Tickets and information on sponsor benefits is at e.givesmart.com/events/wTu.

The foundation also is putting out the call for silent auction items, saying it welcomes gift cards and baskets, services, memorabilia, staycation packages and more.

Donors can contact nightforkyrene@ kyrenefoundation.org.

Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club needs items for special baby shower

Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee Treasurer Andi Pettyjohn and other Kiwanians have distributed boxes for item donations and are soliciting funds on its website for the annual baby shower mainly for foster teen parents, students in the Tempe Union High School District Teen Parenting Program and “other moms and dads in crisis.”

While special needs are backpack diaper bags, toddler bibs, and toddler clothing in sizes 18-months to 4T, the club would also welcome new and gently used cribs, strollers, clothing for infants and toddlers, shoes, baby blankets, diapers, toys and gift cards.

Donation boxes are at:

• Ahwatukee Swim & Tennis, 4700 E. Warner Road;

• PostNet, 4611 E. Chandler Blvd. #112;

• Mountain View Lutheran, 11002 S. 48th St.;

• Ahwatukee Carpets, 15215 S. 48th St. #185

• Horizon Honors High School, 16233 S. 48th St.

Deadline for collections is Sept. 25.

Monetary donations can be made on

see AROUND page 28

Daily

Saturday

A welcoming community proclaiming the love of God and fostering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through Scripture, Sacraments and Service.

SERVING AHWATUKEE, MOUNTAIN PARK RANCH, LAKEWOOD, THE FOOTHILLS AND SURROUNDING AREAS

AROUND from page 27

our website ahwatukeekiwanis.org or by mail at PO Box 50596, Phx. AZ, 85076.

Ahwatukee women’s club invites new members, slates lunch

Ahwatukee Foothills Friends and Neighbors will hold its monthly luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 pm. Sept. 25 at Va Bene Italian Restaurant in Ahwatukee. The topic will be “Share your summer vacation.”

Contact Pam Oliver at pamoliver614@ gmail.com or text/call 614-205-2243 for details and to register. The $20 cost must be paid by Sept. 16 to attend. Details: affanwomensgroup.org/public.

Find new friends while enjoying activities such as team trivia, dining on the town, wine tasting, explore arizona trips, book club, bridge, Mah Jongg and more interesting groups.

Corpus Christi Knights of Columbus ready for golf tourney

The Corpus Christi Knights of Columbus Council 10062 will hold its annual Memorial Golf Tournament Sept. 9.

This year’s tournament honoree is Jim McGrath and this is Knights’ 32nd event.

Proceeds will benefit Knights’ Charities, the K of C Ukraine Solidarity Fund and Folds of Honor Arizona, a nonprofit providing scholarships to qualifying family members of fallen military and first responders.

Registration is taking place now and includes a full round of golf, beverages, cart prizes and lunch for $140 per player.

The tourney will be at the Arizona Grand Golf Course in Ahwatukee with a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start.

Knights of Columbus 10062 Charities, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) organization. Call 480250-2208 and leave a call-back number or visit kofc10062.org to download registration and sponsorship forms.

Ahwatukee American Legion to hold meeting, special social American Legion Post 64 meets monthly at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive, and has two events planned this month.

At 4 p.m. Sept. 20, a membership meeting will include a discussion of the post’s refocused mission.

A fun Veterans Social Mixer will be held at 5 p.m. Sept. 27 at the ARC and will feature music, card playing, and light refreshments.

Both events are free and open to the public.

The Legion will also be distributing free infrared thermometers and N-95 masks at these events.

Information: Brenda at 303-301-4429.

Ahwatukee Blue Star Memorial pavers are available

An engraved commemorative paver placed at the Ahwatukee Blue Star Memorial can be requested to honor a friend or family member who served, or is currently serving, in the U.S. Military. Orders are being accepted until Oct. 1 for placement by Veterans Day.

Pavers cost $60 with the military logo of choice, or $50 without a military logo. Pick up order forms at the Ahwatukee Board of Management, 4700 E. Warner Road or at ahwatukeehoa.com/blue-star-memorial.html.

Leave completed forms and payment at the ABM office by Oct. 1.

Information: annemariehancock@ahwatukeehoa.com.

The Blue Star Memorial, a joint project of the Desert Pointe Garden Club and the Ahwatukee Board of Management, is on the north side of Warner Road just west of 48th Street. Parking is available in the ABM parking lot.

Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee meets Thursday mornings

The Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee has lined up some speakers for its 7:30 a.m. meetings every Thursday at Biscuits Restaurant in the Safeway strip mall on the southwest corner of Elliot Road and 48th Street.

Speakers are: Sept 14, state Sen. Mitzi Epstein; Sept. 21, a representative from Goldfish Swim in Ahwatukee; Oct 12., state Rep. Stacey Travers; Nov. 16, Patrick McWhortor of the Arizona Citizens for the Arts.

Campaign for women’s shelter slates benefit golf tourney

Janice’s Center, a unique women’s shelter that is being planned by Ahwatukee resident Shanté Saulsberry, will be held beginning at 6:30 a.m. Oct. 21 at McCormick Ranch Golf Club, 7505 E McCormick Pkwy., Scottsdale, on its Pine Course.

The four-person team scramble has room for a maximum 144 players. Breakfast, lunch and prizes will be part of the package.

“This golf tournament is the first for Janice’s Women’s Center and a very important fundraiser to help establish the first

see AROUND page 29

LA CASA DE JUANA

DELIVERS A KNOCKOUT WITH ITS FRESH, AUTHENTIC AND MOUTHWATERING FOOD

If you thought you have been to a Mexican restaurant lately you probably need to reconsider and visit La Casa De Juana in Ahwatukee. The fare is authentic Mexican, and when we say authentic we mean it, unlike many of the restaurant chains that call themselves Mexican. Upon entering you’ll be dazzled by the colorful décor, the tables and chairs are beautiful, Mexican painted murals, colorful banners hanging from the ceiling and the gracious service with warm orange and yellow tones echoing throughout the restaurant will make this your favorite Mexican restaurant. With great lunch and dinner specials, we have Happy Hour Monday - Sunday from 2 - 6 PM with $5 House Margaritas, $4 Beers, $5.95 Cheese Quesadilla, $8.95 Chunky Guacamole and $9.95 Juana’s Nachos. Live music every Thursday night in our Ahwatukee location and every Friday at our Tempe location. In conclusion The flavorful salsa, the delicious margaritas, the extraordinary and well-priced food will definitely keep you coming back.

Don’t hesitate to stop by the Ahwatukee location

3941 E. Chandler Blvd. (S/W corner Chandler & 40th St) to make your next reservation call 480-626-9295 www.juanashouse.com

safe house offered under the care of JWC to support women and children suffering from domestic violence,” said Saulsberry.

Saulsberry is also seeking sponsors.

Information for sponsors and registration can be found at charitygolftoday. com/sponsor?e=11548&ce=f7ae7b

Saulsberry envisions Janice’s Women’s Center will offer victims comprehensive services that would include can involve legal assistance, counseling, job training, childcare, and more.

Nonprofit weight-loss support program at Rec Center

A TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Club chapter is meeting at 6 p.m. every Wednesday in the board room at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive. It’s preceded at 5:30 p.m. by socializing and optional weighin charts.

The 28-year-old Ahwatukee club offers education, fun contests and sharing of weekly progress at its meetings “without negative judgments.”

Information: Meg Hoffman at 602-4869100.

Ahwatukee Toastmasters offers growth opportunities

For over 35 years, the Ahwatukee Toastmasters has maintained a continuous presence in Ahwatukee, providing the know-how, practice and encouragement to help members improve their communication and leadership abilities.

Toastmasters meets 7-8 a.m. every other Tuesday at Esperanza Lutheran Church, 2601 E. Thunderhill Place, Ahwatukee. For more information, call or text Ed Prestwood at 480-603-8359, or search Ahwatukee Toastmasters. The group’s chair is Jianhong Zhou, who can be contacted at smiqua.zhou@gmail.com.

Blood drive at Wild Horse Pass honors 9/11 victims

The nation will never forget the sacrifices made on Sept. 11, 2001, and a blood donation party in honor of the fallen and their families will be held 2-7 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Conference Center’s Bird and Roadrunner rooms, 5594 Wild Horse Pass Blvd.

Make an appointment at bit.ly/9-11Blood-Drive.

As sole blood provider to 93% of Arizo-

na hospitals in Maricopa County, Vitalant needs 600 donors daily.

Ironwood Library offers free activities for all ages in August

Ironwood Library, 4333 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee, presents a variety of programs for children, teens and adults. Unless otherwise noted, no tickets or registration is required.

Information: phoenixpubliclibrary.org.

Babytimes

Babies ages birth to 23 months, accompanied by a favorite adult, will enjoy songs, rhymes, books, and interactive fun Tuesdays 10:30-11 a.m. Free tickets are required and available 30 minutes before programs’ start times at the library’s information desk.

Toddlertimes

Toddlers ages 24-36 months, accompanied by a favorite adult, will enjoy songs, rhymes, books, and interactive fun Thursdays, 10:3011:10 a.m. Free tickets are required and available 30 minutes before programs’ start times at the library’s information desk.

Sit, Stay, Read!

Young readers and listeners can sign up for reading time with a registered therapy dog/ handler team. Read with Elsa every Tuesday,

4-5 p.m. Read with Raven Thursday 4-5 p.m.

Full STEAM Ahead

Children ages 6-12 explore hands-on creative ways to design, experiment, and invent 2-4 p.m. Sept. 9, 23 and 30 in this drop-in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) program. Book Club

Adult readers 18 and over can meet up to share their thoughts about each month’s selection the first Wednesday of each month, 5:00-5:45 p.m. Today, Sept. 6, they will discuss “Eyre Affair” by Jasper Fforde, and on Oct. 4, “Skipping Christmas” by John Grisham.

Next Chapter Book Club

This inclusive community-based book club is designed for people ages 12 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have a desire to make friends, explore their community, and read (regardless of current reading ability). Every Wednesday, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Sit and Stitch

Stitchers gather to work on their current project on the first and third Saturday of each month, 3-4:45 p.m. Knitting, crocheting,

2 Ahwatukee girls earn Scout honors

DV alum is first Ahwatukee

female Eagle winner

AFN NEWS STAFF

A2023 graduate of Desert Vista High School is the first Ahwatukee female to earn Eagle rank – the highest honor a member of a Boy Scout troop can attain.

Lola Money, now a freshman majoring in engineering at the University of Arizona, was a member of Boy Scout Troop 3014, which meets at Esperanza Lutheran Church in Ahwatukee.

The daughter of Praveen and Marni Money, Lola joined the Boy Scout troop when she started high school in 2019. Her sister, a Desert Vista senior, also belongs to Troop 3014.

Her Eagle badge, which she received in July, involved a project at Papago Park, “removing invasive species – mainly cattails and small palm trees – and planting native trees – desert willow and Palo Verde – around the water.

“This helped to balance out the ecosystem and biodiversity,” she explained. “The native trees that we planted were near the water line, and once they grow big, they will provide shade to the water – which will help foster growth in the aquatic wildlife.”

Lola said she picked the project “because I am passionate about the outdoors, and I am always camping or hiking.”

“I wanted to give back to my environment that I spend so much time in,” she said. “I also wanted to do something that would bring more joy to people, and this project made the Papago Park area more enjoyable for people who spend their time there.”

As with all Eagle projects, a Scout must pick a project that benefits the community and involves recruiting volunteers and directing them. The badge in part

recognizes the recipient’s leadership.

“It took me about three months to plan and organize everything for the project,” Lola said, adding her team of about 30 volunteers had only one day to complete the project.

“They all worked hard for about six hours,” Lola said. “Many of my volunteers helped out by providing the trees that we planted, as well as tools. The City of Phoenix park rangers were very helpful in donating their time and resources to my work day as well.”

Lola not only earned a badge but learned a big life lesson with her project.

“The main thing that I learned from this project was how much work goes into planning things and how easy it is to overlook smaller details,” she said.

“It felt like every time I was working on pulling everything together, I’d realize something else that I had forgotten,” she said.

“I had to learn how to constantly be adapting, and flexible, and able to change things about my project all the way up until the work day.”

Mental health project garners Gold Award

BY JUSTIN LIGGIN AFN Contributor

After noticing mental health concerns in young people in her community, Ahwatukee Girl Scout Katharyn Holm set out to raise awareness on the importance of mental health for teenagers.

She invented a resource for younger audiences to learn more about mental health with the creation of We Mean to Help.

The We Mean to Help project not only earned Holm the highest honor in Girl Scouts, the Gold Award, but also the prestigious 2023 Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award Scholarship in the amount of $10,000.

The scholarship recognizes one Gold Award Girl Scout per council who has successfully undertaken a project showcasing leadership skills, impact and ability to address an issue in the community.

Katharyn’s scholarship represented the Girls Scouts Pine Cactus Council.

“We Mean to Help is important to me because there is a dire need for help in the community regarding mental health, especially among teenagers and young adults,” said Katharyn.

“I wanted to make sure that I created something that would comfort those who feel like they are alone in this world because there is always someone out there that wants to help you.”

We Mean to Help contains resources for hotlines, psychologists, and coping mechanisms in addition to a blog covering mental health disorders.

Katharyn’s project also included social media channels offering helpful tips and a podcast featuring stories from teachers and students on what they have done to improve their mental health.

Knowing the importance of providing visitors with credible health information and resources, she collaborated with doctors and mental health professionals to identify reputable sources for the program.

“We Mean to Help received more than 500 views in the first months of launch and

mainly impacted Arizona, but with the program being solely online it also went nationwide and global with website visitors from Canada, Portugal, Ireland, India, the Philippines and more,” said Katharyn.

Gold Award recipients not only have the chance of earning the GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship for their impactful projects.

They can also distinguish themselves among the competition in the college admissions process and are entitled to enlist at a higher pay grade when joining the military.

“I have been a part of Girl Scouts for the past 12 years and through those 12 years I have learned so much, made friends, attended every event I could and created ever-lasting bonds with the girls and leaders,” Katharyn said.

“I was able to gain so much from this wonderful organization that I call home in my heart.”

A lifetime Girl Scout, Katharyn is a graduate of Desert Vista High School and currently attends Arizona State University, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in material science engineering and a minor in Spanish.

“We Mean to Help started as a personal project and is now reaching people and making a real difference in the world,” said Katharyn. “This is a pathway that I hope to see grow bigger in the future.”

KATHARYN HOLM

LOLA MONEY

EV women’s chorus seeks new singers

AFN NEWS STAFF

AChandler-based women’s a cappella group is looking for women throughout the East Valley who like to sing and find themselves even harmonizing to music piped across a mall.

The Vocal Connection Chorus wants to add new signers in all voice ranges as it prepares for a new season of performances.

The group is hosting a free guest night 6:30-9:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Seton Catholic Preparatory, 1150 N. Dobson Road, Chandler.

No formal music training is required, though prior choir experience is helpful and the group said, “Vocal training and music education are valuable components of a VCC rehearsal.”

To help with planning, guests for the Sept. 18 event are asked to email guestinfo@vocalconnection.org for additional details. More information is at vocalconnection.org.

“Studies show that singing in a chorus

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cross-stitch, needlepoint are all welcome.

Fall planting class

A master gardener will share techniques and additional resources for successful low desert Fall garden preparation and planting. Presented by local community & sustainability nonprofit Keep Phoenix Beautiful. For adults and teens, Sept. 9, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Ironwood Library Garden Fair

Prepare for the Fall planting season with a full day of free landscaping and gardening fun 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Sept. 16.

Community experts will have information and conduct educational programs. Children 3-10 years old can enjoy a variety of hands-on activities throughout the day. Monarch Butterflies class

Get ready for the fall migration of Monarch Butterflies, their life cycle, migration destination, and how to attract them to your yard. For adults and teens, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Sept. 16.

Tres Rios Wetlands

Learn about this lush and scenic rehabilitated environment in the heart of Phoenix, which has 150 different species of birds and

improves our mood, with a decrease in stress, depression and anxiety,” spokeswoman Patricia Glasser said.

Glasser added that singing also carries a number of physical benefits, including lower blood pressure, increased blood oxygen saturation, elevated immunity, higher pain threshold, and stronger respiratory muscles.

“Research shows that this emotion seems to shift our focus from our own selfview to that of our community.”

Vocal Connection Chorus is one of hundreds of Sweet Adeline International choruses that make up a worldwide organization of women who sing four-part a cappella and barbershop harmony.

It performs regularly throughout the community, offering its talent for entertainment at civic events and charitable functions, in addition to promoting harmony and friendship among women.

animals among the cottonwood groves, willows, mesquites and reed-lined ponds and trails of this riparian area. For adults and teens, Sept. 16, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Reptiles and amphibians

Kids 3 to 9 can learn how reptiles and amphibians adapt to their desert environment 1:30-2:30 p.m. Sept. 16.

Desert lifestyle

Learn how to create and implement xeriscape plans as well as discover common water conservation barriers and solutions outside and inside the home. For adults and teens, 3:30-4:30 Sept. 16.

Saguaros class

Participants will learn what a Saguaro cactus is, why it’s important to the Sonoran Desert, and what animals use it 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sept. 30.

Red Cross Blood Drive

People ages 16 and older can give blood at a Red Cross drive at the library 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 18.

Make an appointment at redcrossblood. org. Select the “Donating Blood” option to submit your appointment time. Walk-in donations are also welcome, as available. Masks are optional.

Business

Ahwatukee businesses band together for rescue

AFN NEWS STAFF

Over 40 Ahwatukee businesses, including the Ahwatukee Foothills News, are partnering on a supply drive for Lost Our Home Pet Rescue.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce and Ahwatukee Foothills YMCA also are participating in the drive throughout September for pet food, pet toys and blankets to restock the Tempe shelter. Items will be delivered October 1.

Participating businesses include Print Smart, Mountainside Martial Arts, Foothills Pet Resort, Music Maker Workshops, Waxing the City, Any Lab Test Now, Foothills Pool Care and Repair, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Weeks & Mitchell Construction and Awaken Chiropractic.

Other businesses are Fuschia Spa, Pigtails & Crewcuts, Wicked Brews, Bites & Spirits, Buzzed Goat Coffee, Impact

Nutrition, Pops Rocking Kettle Corn, Your CBD Store, Desert Financial Credit Union, LIV Ahwatukee Apartments, The

Hub Grill & Bar and Zesty Zeeks Pizza and Wings.

Their locations and drop-off hours for

donations can be found at yestopets.org.

“We are so appreciative of the local business community,” said Jodi Polanski, executive director of Lost Our Home Pet Rescue. “This is the second year, they have come together to support our nokill shelter.

“The goal is to collect enough food and supplies to fill the shelves for our Food Bank, as well as for those pets in the shelter who are looking for a home.”

When the mortgage crisis and recession hit in 2008, Jodi Polanksi was working in the mortgage industry and she kept hearing stories from real estate agents finding dogs abandoned in homes.

The lifelong animal lover’s heart broke and she decided to open her own pet shelter.

Lost our Home’s Pet Food Bank feeds

see RESCUE page 34

Technology transforms memorials to the dead

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

For centuries, tombstones and mausoleums were about the only long-lasting tributes people could give their dearly departed.

These days, however, technology and creativity have created new options for memorializing those who have passed on with an array of artifacts that keep the memory of a loved one close to the heart. Really close, as in tattoos with ink that’s been injected with cremains.

Much of this sea change in how loved ones can be memorialized has been triggered by the growing acceptance of cremation, according to Elisa Krcilek, vice president of Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery in Mesa.

“The sky’s the limit when it comes to ways to hold and carry cremated remains with you,” said Krcilek, who has seen it – and delivered it – all in an industry where she’s worn many caps over 30 years as a licensed funeral director, embalmer, cremationist, pre-need sales and cemetery specialist.

Converting the remains of mom, dad or whoever into stones that can be carried in a pocket or purse became a big thing not long ago.

A company called Parting Stone developed a method of compressing cremains into stones.

“People who carry comfort stones in their pocket use them as a technique of

see MEMORIALS page 33

Elisa Krcilek, vice president of Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery in Mesa, said there are a variety of mementoes by which people can remember a departed loved one. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Jodi Polanski is executive director of Lost Our Home Pet Rescue, which she founded in 2008 after watching so many pets beign abandoned as the Great Recession impacted the Valley. (Special to AFN)

calming themselves,” Krcilek said. “Parting Stones are very smooth and soothing to the touch, people often carry them in their pocket, and hold or rub them for comfort.”

For a while, families could buy a stone for $795, but after the company got national exposure on the “Shark Tank” television show, the price nearly doubled.

“When the stones first came out, they were very affordable and people were really liking the idea,” Krcilek said. “Unfortunately, after they were featured on Shark Tank, the price doubled and families are not spending that kind of money.”

But other more affordable options abound.

“Some families don’t choose cremation, but they love the idea of Parting Stone,” she explained. “We now have a coin that actually has a three-dimensional image of their loved one and they can carry that with them in lieu of cremated remains.”

There also is “an entire biodegradable/ natural/earth friendly” line of mementoes, Krcilek added.

“Some people choose to have the cremated remains go to a naturalistic place, such as the ocean. Therefore, we have salt biodegradable urns. Maybe they are taking them to the forest where they can place the cremated remains in a biodegradable earth-friendly urn or maybe they want to plant a tree in their backyard and we offer urns that accommodate the cremated remains and a tree.”

People can also opt for a necklace that contains a tiny piece of cremated remains “skillfully secured inside a beautiful pearl” with “100% accuracy ensured by having one technician handle an order

from start to finish.” Those start at $195.

People can even have a cast made of their dearly departed’s hand or hands at a starting price of $595, “depending on how many hands are in the casting,” Krcilek added.

“Hand casts capture the physical essence of a person, preserving the unique contours, lines, and wrinkles that make their hands so distinctive,” she explained. “These casts serve as tangible reminders of their touch, their warmth, and their presence.

“Hand casts can be displayed in a variety of ways, from standalone sculptures to framed artworks, offering a personal and artistic tribute that conveys the individual’s essence.”

A related artifact is a loved one’s thumbprint on a bauble that “not only serves as a physical memento but also carries the emotional significance of the individual’s touch.

“Thumbprint jewelry allows us to carry a tangible reminder of our loved one wherever we go, keeping them close to our hearts,” she said.

Even DNA can be stored “to preserve their genetic legacy for future generations,” Krcilek added, noting that it provides “the opportunity to explore ancestry, trace genetic traits, or even recreate elements of their physical appearance.

“DNA storage bridges the gap between science and remembrance, enabling a lasting connection to the past.”

There are almost endless options, Krcilek said.

“We offer every form of jewelry from a memorial glass piece where the cremated remains are blown into a beautiful piece of art, to pendants and pearls to blankets

and pillows with your loved one’s picture on it. We offer hand castings, and everything in between. If people have seen it or heard of it, we figure out how to get it for them,” she continued, explaining:

“I am very involved with national associations of my profession, so I am always looking for new and better ways to help people memorialize.

“One thing I have learned over time is you cannot ask people if they want something, you have to show it to them and allow them to see and feel it to understand exactly what it is you’re offering. People simply do not know what they don’t know, and when they see something that resonates with them, they will ask more questions.”

As for the last goodbye, those ceremonies also have evolved, Krcilek said.

“Themes are very popular,” she explained.

Some “memorializations” see guests wearing the deceased’s favorite color to the service, bringing that person’s favorite cookie or food for the reception.

“Other families have passed out a recipe card with the deceased most famous dish,” Krcilek said. “Some families have played video of the deceased at their own funeral so people could see them and hear the voice.”

“I remember in my early years of being a funeral director families would actually ask me if it is OK to bring a picture of the deceased to put on display,” she continued.

“Today they will fill the entire chapel with pictures and memorabilia for everybody to see the wonderful life the

person lived.”

Not surprisingly, even tombstones have caught up with the digital age.

People can have QR codes “incorporated into headstones, providing a gateway to a rich digital archive of memories and stories of the departed,” Krcilek said.

“By scanning the code with a smartphone, visitors can access photos, videos, written tributes, and anecdotes, fostering a deeper connection to the person being memorialized,” she explained.

This modern twist on a traditional headstone allows for a multifaceted representation of the individual, keeping their legacy alive in the digital age.”

Yet, she has found that “many people really love the idea of the QR codes, but they require a lot of time, work and energy to upload stories, pictures and memories.

“While in fact, people like to go look at them, somebody needs to have the technical skills and time to put into getting them populated.”

In the long run, Krcilek advised, with all these options for wakes, funerals and mementoes, it’s best not to wait until they’re needed so they know how they want their loved one remembered – and how they want to remember them.

“I have a philosophy when a family comes in to make arrangements for their loved one,” Krcilek said. “I ask myself three simple questions: is the inquiry legal, ethical, and feasible? If the answer to all three is yes, we figure out a way to make it happen.”

Information: 480-351-4502, mountainviewfuneralhomeandcemetery.com

Ceramic casts of a departed love one’s hand or hands “capture the physical essence of a person,” Elisa Krcilek said. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Memorial coins with the photo of the departed loved one also are available at Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

GM closing sparks new Price Road concerns

BY KEN SAIN AFN Staff Writer

On the day after General Motors announced it was shutting down its Arizona IT Innovation Center in Chandler, a commercial real estate expert expressed concern for the Price Road Corridor.

“One of the big things that … we need to think about is what are we going to do with the Price Road Corridor, because we’ve seen PayPal has gone away, Liberty Mutual and now General Motors is going away,” Sam Kapur of Arizona Elite Commercial said at the Aug. 24 Chandler Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Update session.

“I think you’re probably going to be looking at close to a million square feet of space over there that is not occupied,” he added.

All is not doom and gloom, the city’s top economic development official contends.

“The notoriety of Price Road is still very attractive,” said Micah Miranda, who leads the city’s economic development office. “When we do get inquiries,

they want to be on the Price Corridor, it has a caché. It is a major employment corridor within the Southeast Valley. Companies want to be there.”

GM’s announcement meant pink slips for 940 workers in high-paying jobs come October.

PayPal announced in June 2022 it was shutting down its facility in the Price

RESCUE from page 32

approximately 1,000 pets per year. Families can get help through the pet food bank by applying at lostourhome.org/ get-help/pet-food-bank-program.

Dedicated to rescuing pets aban-

doned or at risk of homelessness due to pet parents’ life crises such as eviction, domestic violence, job loss and illness, Lost Our Home has saved the lives of over 32,2500 pets.

It also has reunited more than 7,000

rants, because the space is being leased, but nobody’s actually going there.”

Miranda disagreed with that assessment.

“We are having a lot of companies come back to the office, three days a week on average,” Miranda said, pointing out Wells Fargo and Bank of America as a couple that have employees returning to work.

“Buildings are being occupied. Are they occupied 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday like they used to be?” Miranda added. “Absolutely not.”

Road Corridor, but did not disclose how many employees it was laying off.

Kapur said what has really hurt the Price Road Corridor – and surrounding retail businesses – is that many buildings housing companies have been empty for several years.

They’ve been paying their leases, but since the pandemic, workers have been clocking in at home.

He said the published vacancy rate may be around 16%, but that hides the true number of empty buildings. GM’s closure of its Chandler facility – which it had been leasing – will drive that number up.

“That’s probably going to bring that vacancy rate up to 25% to 28%,” Kapur said.

Miranda said Chandler’s office vacancy rate is 17.9%.

“The reason that you don’t see that as a vacancy rate is because the landlords are still making money,” Kapur insisted.

“They still have tenants that are leasing the space,” he continued. “Who’s going to suffer from that is the small businesses, the retailers in the area, gas stations, the dry cleaners, the restau-

pets with their families through their Temporary Care and Tempe PD Programs, and fed over 975,000 meals to hungry pets through their Pet-Food Bank Program.

Lost Our Home Pet Rescue specializes

He also said that while some companies may be leaving the Price Road Corridor, others are moving it. Bechel, Titan Solar, and Yield Engineering have all recently set up shop in the Price Road Corridor.

“We’re not at our traditional vacancy rate of 12%, however, we are seeing a stabilization and company’s returning to the office over the past quarter. We have seen a slight uptick in office leads.”

Miranda said other companies will be moving into the Price Corridor but that it’s too soon to announce those deals.

As for the GM employees who are suddenly unemployed, Miranda says they may not be jobless for long.

“We’ve already began to make connections between local companies that are in need of software talent,” he said.

“Given the unique skill sets of these individuals and the demand in the market, I really anticipate a number of these folks being snapped up pretty darn quick. They’re very talented, and they’re in very high demand.”

Miranda said he does not know Kapur and is not familiar with his work. He did say that he’s not worried about the future of the Price Road Corridor.

“Is there softness? Yes,” Miranda said. “But nothing that I’m terrified about at the moment.”

in helping domestic violence victims with their pets. They have valued partnerships with several domestic violence shelters to serve victims and their pets

Information: LostOurHome.org, or call 602-445-7387.

Some of the companies in this map have moved or have announced plans to shut down. (File photo)

Some of the companies in this map have moved or have announced plans to shut down. (File photo)

This rule helped Warren Buffet become a billionaire

DR. HAROLD WONG AFN Guest Writer

According to a recent Forbes Magazine ranking of the world’s billionaires, Warren Buffet is ranked sixth with $117.4 billion net worth.

He has many famous rules about money and this article will share some of them and how they might be implemented by normal folks who are not billionaires or even millionaires.

Rule 1: Never lose money

Buffett does not frantically trade stocks, bonds, and Wall Street securities like virtually all the mutual funds or managed accounts offered by Wall Street.

Instead, Buffett buys the entire company or a controlling interest in the company. He buys companies that have strong management; a proven track record; and have a defensive moat against competition.

Example: In a serious recession, people don’t have extra money to buy big ticket items such as a new car, vacation home or expensive vacations. However, they can

afford to give themselves a small treat.

Imagine that you have lost 30-50% of your life savings in a major stock market crash and now your three grandkids are visiting you for a week.

You don’t want to spend $8 for a tiny dish of Gelato in downtown Scottsdale or $5 for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. But you can afford to take the grandkids to Dairy Queen, the least expensive national brand ice cream chain in America. Since 1998, Warren Buffett has owned 100% of Dairy Queen.

Practical strategy: Instead of investing in mutual funds, individual stocks, and managed Wall Street accounts, consider a totally different strategy.

There are certain annuity products that give you part of the upside of a stock market index but have NO losses if the market declines. Since 1/01/2000, some of these investments have produced double the money for the investor compared to what the stock market index did.

Example: If you Google “Marubeni and Wikipedia”, you’ll find an example of an extremely niche investment that Buffett

recently made. Marubeni owns PLM Leasing, which is the largest leasing company of refrigerated trailers in America.

Due to the tsunami in Japan and the March 11, 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster, Marubeni decided to change the direction of one of its main lines of business.

Instead of building fossil fuel coal and natural gas plants across the world, it decided to go 100% into renewable energy. It’s attempting to buy into a company that the State of CA claims has invented the ONLY ZERO-Emission technology that is commercially viable.

Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway acquired over 5% of the stock in this Japanese company, along with four other Japanese trading houses, over the 12-month period ending in August 2020.

According to a June 19, 2023, Reuters article, this is the largest of any Berkshireheld public stocks outside of the United States.

The stocks are all up more than 30% this year, with Marubeni shares up 62%. The stock has more than tripled in price since

the end of 2020. Berkshire now owns 8.3% of Marubeni.

Learn about the company the California government says has invented the only zero-emission technology that is commercially viable.

Rule #2: Don’t forget rule #1.

Free Seminars: 6 p.m. Sept. 21 and 10 a.m. Sept. 23 at Hyatt Place, 3535 W. Chandler Blvd. Chandler, followed by a free catered meal. Topic is “Secure your financial future: Lessons from Warren Buffett!”

Free tour/workshop: 9 a.m.- noon Sept. 30 at Solar Reefer (Refrigeration) Factory, 4245 E. Norcroft St., Mesa, southwest of McDowell and Greenfield roads. Topic: “How solar reefers can reduce taxes to $0 and earn a steady 10-14%.” Lots of tasty refreshments.

RSVP for the seminars or a free consultation: contact Dr. Harold Wong at 480-060177 or harold_wong@hotmail.com. His website is drharoldwong.com.

Dr. Harold Wong earned his Ph.D. in economics at University of California/Berkeley and has appeared on over 400 TV/radio programs.

1520

From city hall and the statehouse (and Senate) to corporate offices and boardrooms, women are making a remarkable difference in our community.

From

From city hall and the statehouse (and Senate) to corporate offices and boardrooms, women are making a remarkable difference in our community.

and

On September 20, join us as we recognize women leaders at the PHX East Valley Partnership’s annual Statespersons’ Event.

On September 20, join us as we recognize women leaders at the PHX East Valley Partnership’s annual Statespersons’ Event.

Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker

Anna Maria Chávez, president and CEO of the Arizona Community Foundation and one of the world’s top experts on women’s leadership

Anna Maria Chávez, president and CEO

top experts

Arizona Community

Panel Discussion: Propelling More Women into Leadership Roles

Panel Discussion: Propelling More Women into Leadership Roles

Moderator: Stacy Derstine, APS

Anna Maria Chávez, president and CEO of the Arizona Community Foundation and one of the world’s top experts on women’s leadership

Panel Discussion: Propelling More Women into Leadership Roles

Moderator: Stacy Derstine, APS

Panelists:

Panelists:

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Moderator: Stacy Derstine, APS

Panelists:

• Toni Broberg, state president, Arizona and New Mexico, AT&T

• Toni Broberg, state president, Arizona and New Mexico, AT&T

• Jenn Daniels, CEO, Horizon Strategies

• Jenn Daniels, CEO, Horizon Strategies

• Toni Broberg, state president, Arizona and New Mexico, AT&T

• Jenn Daniels, CEO, Horizon Strategies

From city hall and the statehouse (and Senate) to corporate offices and boardrooms, women are making a remarkable difference in our community.

• Rosa Inchausti, city manager, City of Tempe

• Rosa Inchausti, city manager, City of Tempe

• Dr. Tammy Robinson, president, Mesa Community College

• Rosa Inchausti, city manager, City of Tempe

• Dr. Tammy Robinson, president, Mesa Community College

• Sarah Watts, president/CEO, Gilbert Chamber of Commerce

On September 20, join us as we recognize women leaders at the PHX East Valley Partnership’s annual Statespersons’ Event.

• Sarah Watts, president/CEO, Gilbert Chamber of Commerce

• Dr. Tammy Robinson, president, Mesa Community College

Keynote Speaker

RSVP

RSVP

RSVP

• Sarah Watts, president/CEO, Gilbert Chamber of Commerce

Anna Maria Chávez, president and CEO of the Arizona Community Foundation and one of the world’s top experts on women’s leadership

Ticket packages of 10 are $1,000 and individual tickets are $100. For more information, visit www.phxeastvalley.com or contact Jessica Hubbard at 480-532-0641 or jhubbard@phxeastvalley.com.

Ticket packages of 10 are $1,000 and individual tickets are $100. For more information, visit www.phxeastvalley.com or contact Jessica Hubbard at 480-532-0641 or jhubbard@phxeastvalley.com.

Panel Discussion: Propelling More Women into Leadership Roles

Ticket packages of 10 are $1,000 and individual tickets are $100. For more information, visit www.phxeastvalley.com or contact Jessica Hubbard at 480-532-0641 or jhubbard@phxeastvalley.com.

Moderator: Stacy Derstine, APS

Panelists:

• Toni Broberg, state president, Arizona and New Mexico, AT&T

• Jenn Daniels, CEO, Horizon Strategies

• Rosa Inchausti, city manager, City of Tempe

• Dr. Tammy Robinson, president, Mesa Community College

• Sarah Watts, president/CEO, Gilbert Chamber of Commerce

RSVP

Ticket packages of 10 are $1,000 and individual tickets are $100. For more information, visit www.phxeastvalley.com or contact Jessica Hubbard at 480-532-0641 or jhubbard@phxeastvalley.com.

Vehicles need veri cation, not just our trust

BY DR. NORMA HUBELE AFN Guest Writer

Trust but verify. President Reagan liked this phrase. He favored treaties with not-sofriendly nations as long as they had provisions to verify compliance.

Trust but verify is now an accepted policy in car safety. Car makers are selling us their cars, but they are also verifying that we drive them properly. In-cabin monitoring captures this veri cation process.

Cameras in rear-view mirrors, windshields and dashboards as well as sensors in steering wheels are being used to monitor good driving behavior.

Do you have your eyes on the road? Are your eyelids closing? Is your head bobbing like you are about to fall asleep? If risky behavior is detected, then bells ring, lights ash or seats vibrate. Computer systems are monitoring us while we are driving.

Enhanced monitoring

With self-driving features in our cars, the monitoring system is getting more complicated. Computers are checking on us, the humans, to ensure that we are checking on our cars, the robots.

For instance, the all-electric Kia EV6 will

Students bear responsibility for repaying loans

When does personal accountability become a part of the equation? A recent article on student loans o ered one excuse after the next why they should just magically disappear. at is not how this works.

e students knowingly went into debt to get their chosen education. It is not up to the rest of us to bail them out for bad decisions. As the article points out, there are cheaper options to get the education they want. Many do not choose that path.

drive down the freeway without the driver’s hands on the wheel for a short time. Exceed that time and the driver is “told” to put hands back on the wheel. Carmakers are asking us to trust their new technology, but they are hedging their bet. e driver needs to watch what’s happening. Trust but verify.

Two important events happened recently regarding this new era in automotive safety.

A tragedy teaches a lesson

In July, Rafaela Vasquez, the Uber backup driver of a self-driving vehicle, reached a plea agreement for her role in the death of Elaine Herzberg in 2018.

Herzberg was crossing Mill Avenue in Tempe outside of a crosswalk with her bike in a dimly lit environment when she was struck and killed by Uber’s SUV.

e in-cabin camera showed that Vasquez was looking down at her phone at the time of the crash.

e National Transportation Safety Board investigated. Among their conclusions, the human driver failed to monitor the robotic car and Uber failed to monitor the human driver to ensure the safe operation of the self-driving car.

A human was expected to guarantee that the computer system did a good job.

Trust but verify.

Tesla and the “no nag” controversy e second event concerns Tesla, the electric car company that is considered at the forefront of self-driving technology. Two years ago, the federal agency responsible of investigating potential recalls, started probing into Tesla’s self-driving Autopilot.

Among the problems, Tesla vehicles were crashing into stationary emergency vehicles, such as retrucks and ambulances, while they were administering aid. e investigators were seeking answers.

When a vehicle is using Autopilot, the driver is expected to pay attention and takeover the driving tasks when needed. The computer system watching the driver is supposed to send out alerts or in the common vernacular, “nags,” to ensure good driver behavior. at is, the driver needs to be alert, watching the road and ready to takeover. is summer the investigation got more heated. Word was spreading that drivers could manipulate the Tesla software to create a “no nag” version.

Sounds like an attractive option: Drivers could operate the self-driving module without being told to pay attention.

Recall investigators became alarmed.

ey sent a letter to Tesla asking for an explanation. e demand letter summarized

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Community colleges are an excellent alternative. e student studying social work who goes to an Arizona state school for undergrad, then goes to U of Miami for a grad degree all the while studying abroad on borrowed money does not deserve a break.

Bad decisions on bad decisions is what has gotten us into the current economic situation. Why does the author and the Biden Administration think they can just make it go away?

We have a $33T debt folks. It is not going away or getting any smaller. Default is coming. e giveaways have to stop.

What exactly have all of these people done with the money they “saved” over the last three years by not paying their loans?

Your article also implies interest rates are at their peak. ink again. e Fed Chair just stated they will be going up again. To think that any of these people who can’t make their loan payments are trying to buy houses is not realistic.

Personal responsibility is not being taught in our schools at any level. No one has an expectation that they actually have to perform and be responsible anymore.

the perceived safety risk: “ e resulting relaxation of controls designed to ensure that the driver remain engaged in the dynamic driving task could lead to greater driver inattention and failure of the driver to properly supervise Autopilot.”

Is “no nag” a hidden feature in the Autopilot software? Tesla has provided condential answers to the recall investigators. We will have to wait for our answers.

Ensuring safety

Computerized driver-assist systems are delivering the promised safety rewards. Forward collision and lane departure warning systems are saving lives and reducing injuries. With more self-driving experience, we will undoubtedly develop more trust in our cars’ capabilities.

However, we are still in the birthing stages of these technologies. Until they reach full maturity, our robotic cars need to be monitored. For all our safety sake, a policy of trust but verify is still a good idea.

Ahwatukee resident and Chandler business owner Norma Faris Hubele is professor emerita of Arizona State University. Her eAutoProfessor.com o ers safer car choices. She also published “Backseat Driver, e Role of Data in Great Car Safety Debates.”

How about this: get the Feds out of the student loan business. Make the universities back the loans. ey have hundreds of millions or billions in endowment. Make them have skin in the game. If the student can’t pay it back because they chose a major that has no ability to generate adequate income then maybe they are in the wrong eld.

When the schools have to eat the default, then maybe they change their approach to education. Until that happens, this situation will continue.

-R. Keller

Pride overcome soggy conditions, beat Palm Desert

BY ZACH ALVIRA AFN Sports Editor

Mountain Pointe wanted to start fast on the road in soggy conditions against Palm Desert High School, a quarter nalist in the California high school football playo s last season.

e Pride knew they would be able to overpower the Aztecs in the run game, even without Randle Parker and Christian Clark who were both out with injuries. ey relied heavily on outside zone, which proved to be successful to open up the pass game.

ey were able to get the fast start they were hoping for, but it zzled due to penalties. It opened the eyes of Head Coach Eric Lauer and his sta . ey realized that despite a 31-15 win over Palm Desert, the Pride still have plenty to work on if they want to contend for a championship at the end of the season.

“No excuses, you want to be able to plug and play but that’s hard to do sometimes,” Lauer said of the absence of starters due

to injury. “We left a lot on the eld tonight, which is what you don’t want to do.”

Mountain Pointe looked like a force to be reckoned with in the rst quarter.

e Pride moved the ball with ease at times against a smaller Aztec front, allowing running back Marion Gillespie to nd holes, albeit for short gains, to tire out Palm Desert. Mountain Pointe did nd itself in a fourth down situation after illegal formation penalties – which were the Pride’s crutch all night – negated big plays down eld.

But o ensive coordinator Brian Whitacre showed trust in quarterback Robert Knorr. He gambled on fourth down and Knorr answered with a strike to Chase Shumate for the rst down. A few plays later, Casteel transfer Zeke Rodriguez scored from 21 yards out.

“I did not imagine this, but I love it,” Rodriguez said of his do-it-all role for the Pride. “I love the pressure and everything that comes with it.”

see PRIDE page

Mountain Pointe athlete Zeke Rodriguez scored three times Friday night in the Pride’s win over Palm Desert in California. (Brandon Magpantay/ALV Studio)

BY ANDREW LWOWSKI AFN Contributing Writer

The Williams Field Black Hawks traveled to Awhatukee and took over Desert Vista, dominating all facets of the game in their 35-0 rout over the under.

Meanwhile the under, under rstyear coach Scooter Molander, are still searching for their identity as the season progresses.

Desert Vista is still trying to pick up the pieces after losing over a dozen transfers and going on its third coach in three years.

Senior running back Isaac Acedo, who has been through three di erent coaches in his last three years, said the coaching carousel does not a ect the team. “Every team has ups and downs, it might be a set point for other teams, but for us we’re going

to keep pushing and going the extra mile to nd the turning point in the season.”

Desert Vista has an uphill battle to ght during the season of adjusting, but Molander won’t let that deter his program.

Desert Vista and Williams Field traded punts through the rst quarter before the Black Hawks connected on a 35-yard toss from quarterback Kody Guy to Cameron Cooke. e score came on the second play of the second quarter, and once the blood was drawn, the Hawks didn’t let up.

While the under struggled to get the run game going behind junior Lucas Schiermeyer, sophomore Kyler Drunasky, and Acedo, the Black Hawks were scooping chunks out of the under secondary.

see THUNDER page 41

Desert Vista sophomore Kyler Drunasky was bottled up against Williams Field, as the Black Hawks didn’t allow him, Lucas Schiermeyer or Isaac Acedo to get the Thunder’s run game going Friday night. (Andrew Lwowski/AFN Contributor)

PRIDE from page 39

A Palm Desert fumble gave Mountain Pointe the ball inside the red zone. Knorr made the Aztecs pay by nding freshman Marleigh Fely for a 10-yard touchdown.

With half a quarter gone the Pride already built to a two-score lead. en, the penalties took over.

ey stalled Mountain Pointe’s drive that began on the Palm Desert side of the 50. It did, however, allow sophomore Francisco Orduno to show o his leg by hitting a 48-yard eld goal.

On Mountain Pointe’s next drive, Rodriguez sprinted down the sideline for what would have been a long touchdown run. But a holding penalty brought it back.

e Pride punted on that drive. Early in the second quarter, Javier Jones caught a slant route from Knorr and took it 33 yards to the end zone. But an illegal formation penalty negated that, too.

In total, Mountain Pointe had four touchdowns called back due to penalties. Two of them, the Pride still scored. One they settled for a eld goal. e other two, however, stalled drives and negated a big gain by Rodriguez that would’ve set the Pride up at the 1-yard line.

“We had 15 penalties tonight,” Lauer said. “ at’s unacceptable.”

Mountain Pointe was penalized 11 times in the rst half for 65 yards. Even with the o ense struggling, the defense held strong

way with bone-shattering hits, one of which that forced a fumble in the third quarter and allowed Mountain Pointe to score right away.

“It felt great,” Johnson said. “I saw him catch it to the outside and I said, ‘I’m going to give him my best … boom.’ Ball came out. I think we got better this week.”

Most of Palm Desert’s o ensive production, and all of its points, came in the fourth quarter with most of Mountain Pointe’s starters out of the game.

Aztec quarterback Connor Or eld found Michael Danglies twice for touchdowns, the rst after it was tipped by a Mountain Pointe defender and Palm Springs wideout before falling into his hands.

Rodriguez found the end zone three total times Friday night, one on the ground and two through the air from Knorr, who also had a three-touchdown performance.

But Lauer knows the penalties and other mistakes made against Palm Desert will be costly against Centennial next Friday.

by limiting Palm Springs to just 58 yards of o ense in the half and just two rst downs. at continued in the third quarter as the defense continued to shine.

Linebacker Demetrice Johnson led the

“I don’t think you can necessarily catch up,” Lauer said. “You can’t get time back. But you have to try to do the best you can with the time you do have. We’ll try to be as e cient as we can and get ready for one of the best teams in the state of Arizona.”

Mountain Pointe linebacker and tight end Demetrice Johnson played a pivotal role in the Pride’s win on the road at Palm Desert in California Friday night. (Brandon Magpantay/ALV Studio)

THUNDER from page 39

Sandru midway through the second quarter, extending Williams Field’s lead to 14.

Despite Williams Field nding success o ensively, both scores came from splash plays rather than methodical drives, which under Head Coach Scooter Molander credits his defense for their grit.

“Our defense really settled in there nicely in the second quarter, and that was good,” he said.

e under defense came away with back-to-back interceptions in the waning minutes of the rst half, halting further damage from the Black Hawks.

Unfortunately, the o ense couldn’t jump on the opportunity before time expired.

“O ensively, we’re just inconsistent,” Molander said, noting that there were too many three-and-outs for his liking. “Our punts did a great job tonight ipping the eld. We made the drive long distances and that’s a positive. Last week I think we turned it over six or seven times, tonight we only turned it over twice.”

Williams Field received the second half opening kick, which it took down the eld and punched in for six thanks to an impressive run by Dylan Lee from 33-yards out.

Desert Vista needed an answer o ensively, and liked to have something brewing as it began marching down deep into Williams Field territory. But Adrian Dahlene came down with a tip-drill interception from junior quarterback Zach Brown to end any momentum the under had. at led to a downward spiral of events that put the game out of reach.

After a few short plays, Guy marched his team down the eld before the Black

Hawks punched it in from 4-yards out.

On the following drive, Guy found Braeden Kirsner on a screen pass from 28-yards out. e ensuing Desert Vista drive, another tip-drill interception gave the Williams Field prime position at the 50 to start the fourth quarter up 35-0.

However, despite the one-sided loss, Molander said his program is taking a step in the right direction and he’s found a silver lining. As the Black Hawks were threaten-

ing at the under 2-yard line, linebacker Ethan Green was able to knock the ball loose, allowing the defense to recover. e under then put together the best-looking drive all night, and while it did not produce points, it meant something to Molander.

“Our defense got the stop, they could have easily laid down,” Molander said of his team’s defensive stop in the nal minutes of the game. “We kept ghting. O ensively we ran the ball very e ectively on that drive so that is something to hang our hats on. In order to win football games at level, you still have to be able to run the ball.”

Being a leader on o ense, Acedo says he continues to push his team while holding them accountable.

Molander has learned that his team has grit, and that’s something you can’t coach.

While Desert Vista has only scored 13 points through two games in the 2023 season, Molander said, “We have a lot of young players and I just challenged them to stay the course... We’ve come here to change the culture and re-awaken what was amazing under coach Rattay and Hinds.”

e under will travel to Surprise to take on Valley Vista on Friday at 7 p.m.

The loss to Williams Field has left Desert Vista Head Coach Scooter Molander searching for an identity this season as the Thunder fall to 0-2. (Andrew Lwowski/AFN Contributor)

All-Asian comedy show coming to Ahwatukee

GETOUT STAFF

Ahwatukee comedian Anthony Solimini has been doing all he can to fill what he saw was a comedic void in Ahwatukee.

And at 7 p.m. Sept. 15, he’s bringing a big comedy gun to Cactus Jack’s at 4747 Elliot Road, Ahwatukee.

Joe Wong, perhaps China’s most famous comedian who has brought his edgy humor to late night talk shows, heads an all-Asian card that includes Jing Yu and Stan Chen.

Tickets are $40 at the door and at humanitix.com.

Wong not only has appeared on shows hosted by Stephen Colbert and David Letterman. In 2010, he even performed at the White House, roasting then-VicePresident Joe Biden by telling him: “I actually read your autobiography. Today, I see you. I think the book is much better.”

Proving his bipartisan approach to comedy, Wong four years ago appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Col-

Joe Wong, possible China’s most famous comedian, heads an. all-Asian cast of comics Sept. 15 at Cactus Jack’s in Ahwatukee. (Special to GetOut)

bert” and talked about how impressed he was when President Donald Trump took office.

“There was a KKK March,” he said, “and you know how Americans hate exercise.”

The Asian comedy club scene is familiar terrain for Solomini, a Boston native who was a banker by trade and living overseas for 30 years in London, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong. His resume includes stints at Groupon, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan and Societe General.

On the comic side, he’s been featured on Comedy Central, Asia, and in the movie “I Need You to Kill” with Tom Se-

While the actors strike has crimped the flow of new movies, a Scottsdale actor and a Mesa filmmaker will have the chance to present their new feature film next Saturday in Jerome.

“Run Rabbit,” an all-Arizona thriller directed by and produced by Justin Rose and starring Chris Studenka holds a prime spot in the ninth annual Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival.

It will be shown at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, in the historic Liberty Theatre on the last stop of a whirlwind year of film festival showings around the world.

And along the way, “Run Rabbit” not only picked up nine festival awards for best feature film, best acting and best director, it also secured a distribution deal at filmmaker Kevin Smith’s film festival in New Jersey that they are currently

wrapping up.

A Michigan native, Studenka portrays the pursuer of a vigilante-killer who targets prominent people.

The film gradually reveals the killer’s motive and the pursuer’s own secrets amid what reviews call a thrilling chase and surprise ending.

Studenka and Rose met in 2019 after Rose posted a casting call for his first film, a short titled “Red Velvet Evening.”

Rose calls it “a dialogue-driven thriller that takes place entirely in a kitchen.”

They then worked together on a short

Scottsdale actor Chris Studenka, left, and Mesa director Justin Rose are excited about showing their new thriller, “Run Rabbit,” next Saturday during the ninth annual Jerome Indie and Film & Music Festival.”

(Special to GetOut)

gura, Chad Daniels and Pete Lee.

When he moved to Asia, he performed at venues like TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong, which was founded in 2007 by Jami Gong, a Chinese American standup comedian. It’s the first full-time comedy club in Asia and it fosters local English- and Cantonese-speaking talent.

“I performed at the Comedy Store in London,” Solimini said. “I’ve also performed in China, Singapore, Philippines, Australia, Hong Kong and here at the House of Comedy in Minnesota, and Off the Hook in Naples, Florida.”

Though a top comedian, Wong gave a self-effacing interview last year to an Asian entertainment website (thatsmags.com/shanghai) in which he said he never considered himself the funni-

see COMEDY page 46

GETOUT STAFF

JEROME from page 42 called “Father’s Day,” which also picked up multiple awards at film festivals around the world.

For “Run Rabbit,” Studenka and Rose teamed up with actor Greg Wave and Rose’s brother, Cristian Garcia, who did the film’s score.

Rose is a big fan of iconic directors Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick “and our films reflect that tone and style,” Studenka said.

Studenka’s road to acting started in an unusual way: A champion marathon runner, he was invited to model running clothes for Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“That led to commercials, then film,” he said. “I found a passion later in life and I study relentlessly and even though I didn’t grow up doing it, I have definitely put in my hours.”

And his dues: “I’ve done four TV pilots that didn’t get picked up,” Studenka said. “I did a number of training videos for PetSmart – anyone that gets hired there has likely seen me. I did a play once, just to try it out, but I’m definitely more of a film actor.”

Rose’s road to filmdom followed a

somewhat more conventional route.

He grew up in Gilbert across the street from a Blockbuster Video store.

“My dad and I would walk across the street and rent movies from there and that’s where my love for science fiction came to life. Science fiction was really the start of where my love of movies started, especially the old sci fi classics like ‘Godzilla’ and ‘War of the Worlds.’

“As I grew older, I began to write and sketch a lot, constructing scenes in my head and describing what was going on in those scenes. It almost became an obsession, constantly writing and then using music to help expand my ideas and thoughts.”

Rose, who attended Scottsdale Community College’s film program after graduating in 2011 from Gilbert High, said he spent three months filming “Run Rabbit” and another three in editing.

“The only challenges we had was the filming in the 120 degree heat in the dry desert and the late nights,” he said, “but overall it was definitely an experience and many memories created.”

Studenka and Rose share a mutual admiration.

“The minute I met Justin I could tell he has special talent,” Studenka recalled. “He sees everything differently and just better than anyone else I’ve ever worked with.”

Rose called him a “great guy” and talent.

“Who knows if the projects would ever have gotten finished” without him, Rose said.

“After ‘Rabbit,’ we still have many projects upcoming and we’re excited to get the next project going,” Rose added, noting he is in the final pre-production stages for another thriller.

Studenka also is awaiting release of two films he made independent of Rose title “Lyla” and “The Diner.”

Information on next weekend’s showing: jeromefilmfestival.com.

Chandler Contigo honors Hispanic heritage

For the third consecutive year, Chandler Contigo will celebrate September as National Hispanic Heritage Month with a month-long series of family, cultural and educational events.

Chandler Contigo translates to “Chandler with you,” which describes the variety of events happening throughout the city that are tailored to the youngest family members, history buffs and performing arts fans.

“The culture and history of Chandler are deeply connected to the Hispanic/ Latino community here,” said Niki Tapia, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer.

“It’s exciting to see how Chandler Contigo has grown in just three years with a full calendar of activities throughout the city.”

The celebration begins at the Chander Contigo Kickoff Festival on Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Downtown Library. This free event features strolling

mariachis, family crafts, face painting, Latin dance demonstrations and storytelling from local authors.

All four locations of Chandler Public Library are hosting events throughout Hispanic Heritage Month. A few of these free events include:

Hispanic Heritage Craft Day, Sept. 15 from 11 a.m. to noon at Basha Library, 5990 S. Val Vista Drive

Lil’ Chefs cooking class on Sept. 18 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Hamilton Library, 3700 S. Arizona Ave., for 6–9-year-olds (registration is required)

¡Baila! Dance Party and Sing Along, Sept. 29 from 6-8 p.m. at Hamilton Library, 3700 S. Arizona Ave.

Sunset Fiesta, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to noon at Sunset Library, 4930 W. Ray Road

Día de los Muertos Inspired Memory Boxes, Oct. 11 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Downtown Library, 22 S. Delaware St.

Contigo Paint Night on Oct. 13 from 6-7 p.m. for ages 18 and older at Basha Library, 5990 S. Val Vista Drive.

For the complete list of events and activities at CPL locations, visit chandlerlibrary.org.

Colorful entertainment is a part of Chandler Contigo, the city’s signature salute to Hispanic Heritage Month. (Special to GetOut)

this festival brings a vibrant music and dance experience to the Mainstage on Oct. 7.

This year, people can enjoy music from Alan Ponce, Deyra Barrera, Herencia Mexicana Arizona, Mariachi Sonido de México, and the all-female group Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas. These amazing mariachi groups will be accompanied by local dancers from Ballet Folklórico Quetzalli-AZ.

“Las Cafeteras present Hasta la Muerte” will be performed at the CCA on Oct. 20. Las Cafeteras, an acclaimed band from Los Angeles, celebrate life and death in this colorful, ambitious production.

Their songs include traditional folk songs and modern tunes, sung in English, Spanish and Spanglish to help to bridge the cultural divide. Their music is accompanied by folklórico dancers and colorful sets.

Chandler Museum is hosting two exhibitions that add context to Hispanic Heritage Month. “Querencia: Place and Belonging in Chandler” is a communityfocused exhibition that highlights the oral histories of Hispanic/Latino residents in Chandler’s historic barrios and migrant communities.

These depictions of life in Chandler in the past and currently is on display through Oct. 15.

“Aliento a Tequila” is a photo exhibition that explores the culture and traditions of tequila artfully made in Mexico. It can be viewed from Sept. 1-Oct. 22. Admission to Chandler Museum is free.

The community can come together to celebrate the iconic movie, “Stand and Deliver” at LOOK Dine-In Cinemas Chandler on Oct. 8.

Chandler Center for the Arts is an active participant in Chandler Contigo with two ticketed events and a gallery exhibition.

The 24th annual Mariachi and Folklórico Festival is a Chandler tradition. Presented in partnership with C.A.L.L.E de Arizona and Maestra Vanessa Ramirez,

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the film and attendees can walk the red carpet before the screening and hear personal stories from cast and crew afterwards.

Everyone is invited to join the community and experience Chandler Contigo events. Some activities have limited capacity; others require tickets.

ACROSS

1 Martial art

5 Smack a baseball

9 Romance

12 Abbr. on a phone

13 Sunscreen additive

14 "Big Blue"

15 Royal with a golden touch

17 Actress Vardalos

18 Naval rank

19 Avid

21 Hosp. triage area

22 Parsley and sage

24 Stately trees

27 Candle dripping

28 Incite

31 Luau souvenir

32 Glamorous Gardner

33 Santa -- winds

34 Ward (o )

36 Tiara sparkler

37 Winter blanket

38 Accepted fact

40 "I see"

41 Flood protection

43 Clothe

47 Coach Parseghian

48 Cell phone sounds

51 Insult, slangily

52 Boast

53 Pac-12 school

54 Observe

55 Utters

56 Sub shop

DOWN

1 Gag

2 -- arms

3 Lairs

4 Wild parties

5 Whirl

6 Bankroll

7 Lawyers' org.

8 Shocking weapon

9 Airplane measure

10 Theater award

11 Sharif of "Funny Girl"

16 Ball club VIP

20 Six-pack muscles

22 Refuge

23 Pre-diploma hurdle

24 Sprite

25 Grant's foe

26 Prized Chinese vessel

King Crossword

27 Carry on

29 Popular card game

30 Cold and damp

35 Conk out

37 Hide from view

39 Action words

40 Busy insect

41 Young fellows

42 New York canal

43 Early birds?

44 Formerly

45 Phone inventor

46 Actor Morales

49 401(k) alternative

50 Aye canceler

IWith JAN D’ATRI

Peppermint patty brownies are a chewy delight

’m the odd woman out when it comes to the combination of chocolate and peppermint.

I know, I know. They go together like chips and dip. Like bread and butter. Like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a side of dill pickle.

If that last example throws you off, I get it. I couldn’t imagine how a dill pickle can possible partner with a PB & J, but it really does work! That combination of sweet, salty and sour really wakes up the ol’ taste buds.

But I do understand the obsession with chocolate and mint. The combo just never won me over with three delicious exceptions. Andes Mints, Cerreta’s Famous French Mint Truffles and this recipe for York Peppermint Patty Brownies.

PEPPERMINT PATTY BROWNIES

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups butter, softened

• 3 cups granulated sugar

• 5 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup baking cocoa

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 package (12 ounces) small York chocolate-covered peppermint patties

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. (Or, line the baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving a few inches on either side for easy lift out.)

In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl with electric beaters, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt to the creamed mixture and beat until well combined.

It’s a recipe I discovered around 2010 and have loved it ever since. I think I Iike it so much because it’s not just a treat with mint flavoring.

You get to sink your teeth into a rich and chewy brownie and along the way you bite into a York Peppermint Patty smack dab in the middle of the tasty chocolaty square.

Spread about two-thirds of the batter in the prepared baking pan. Arrange peppermint patties over top. Carefully spread remaining batter over patties completely covering the peppermint patties.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (top will appear uneven). Cool completely. Cut into bars.

Icing Ingredients (Makes 2 cups)

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

• 2/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa

• 1 level teaspoon instant espresso powder (not grounds)

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 1/3 cup milk or half and half

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

Directions:

Melt butter. In a bowl, stir together the butter, cocoa and espresso powder. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. If too thick, add small amount (1 teaspoon at a time) additional milk. If too runny, add powdered sugar, one teaspoon at a time.

Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups of frosting.

est guy in the room when. he was growing up.

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He said, “My classmates and teachers really enjoyed it, but I never thought that I could be a comedian. I didn’t even know that you could practice being funny and make yourself funnier; I thought you were just born with it.”

Now 51, Wong got his break-out moment in 2002 in Boston and soon was getting invites to the late-night TV shows.

He’s switched over time to a more personal them after riffing two years ago on

“the Asian hate problem in America” and has turned his comic lens to “midlife stuff” and “trying to keep healthy.”

Jing Yu has performed several shows in the Phoenix area, including Stir Crazy Comedy Club, Clean Comedy USA, JP’s Comedy Club, El Charro Hipster, and ...

Stan Chen is relatively new to the Valley comedy scene, though the Seattkle native has traveled the country hitting the comedy club circuot.

He earned the “Best Of The Fest” award at the 2019 Big Pine Comedy Festival in Flagstaff and is a past winner of the funniest comic of Indianapolis and the New York City Comedy Festival. He has appeared on Last Comic Standing, The Bob and Tom Show, Laughs TV and CNN.